Despite just winning a seventh consecutive presidential term, a look at Alexander Lukashenko’s early life reveals rather humbler origins.

Brought up by a single mother in a poor village in eastern Belarus, he first made his mark as the manager of a farm in the late 1980s.

After moving into politics at the end of that decade, he quickly established his reputation as a man with authoritarian instincts – and by 1994, he was elected president of Belarus for the first time.

Ever since, he has managed a balancing act between Russia, his closest economic and political partner, and overtures to the West. But, the country’s faced sanctions following its role in the invasion of Ukraine, while many Western governments have labelled this latest election as a sham.

Stephen Smith takes a closer look at the man often referred to as Europe's last dictator.

Production Team

Producers: Sally Abrahams, Charlotte McDonald and Nathan Gower Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: James Beard Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele and Jack Young

Guests

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, leader of the democratic opposition of Belarus Olga Dryndova, Editor of Belarus-Analysen, University of Bremen Katia Glod, Russia-West Policy Fellow at the European Leadership Network and Non-resident Fellow with Centre for European Policy Analysis, Washington DC Pavel Latushka, former Minister of Culture, Belarus government, now Belarus opposition politician Rosemary Thomas, former UK ambassador to Belarus

Credits

Animal Farm by George Orwell, recording produced by Ciaran Bermingham Narrated by Roger Ringrose