Political trends: a look into the future
Over the past year, we witnessed many changes in various areas of life. Some are the result of global processes, others are the result of internal factors, but each of them has its own consequences that can have a significant impact on our society. Therefore, a balanced assessment of the country's development trends is a necessary condition for forming an objective forecast for the near future. Let's take a closer look at what landmark events of ‑2024 will determine our future, the standard and quality of our lives in the near and long term.
Undoubted successes that strengthened the country's authority on the external circuit were its accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), active involvement in the BRICS format, and the development of multi-vector cooperation with Russia and China. Belarus, as part of the SCO on the Eurasian continent, will definitely help unlock the organization's potential in terms of industrial cooperation, technology transfer, transport and ‑logistics capabilities, countering extremism and terrorism, and strengthening social and cultural contacts.
Obtaining the BRICS partner status has opened the door to participation in the organization's projects, exchange of experience, and created additional opportunities for trade and investment, which in the future will have a positive impact on the diversification of economic ties. Our next goal is to move to full-scale cooperation and join the organization as a participant. It is important to understand that we are now seeing the results of the work that has been systematically implemented recently, but 2024 has ‑strengthened our position to promote economic interests in the Global South countries and the role of Belarus as an important element of the Eurasian space. This opens up wide horizons for the development of export opportunities, and hence the strengthening of the economy as a whole.
The result of the 25th ‑anniversary of the development of the Union State was the implementation of all 28 programs that determine the importance and effectiveness of integration processes. They have become a powerful tool for ensuring the sustainability of economies, a political and ‑legal framework for forming joint responses to foreign policy challenges and unprecedented sanctions pressure. The breakthrough of recent years of cooperation with the fraternal state has been reaching a new level of interaction between the regions of Russia and Belarus.
The country's achievements in the international arena testify to a balanced and competent foreign policy, reflecting primarily the interests of the Belarusian people. The deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on our territory has become a powerful long-term factor in ensuring independence and protecting against external threats. Strengthening national security in the context of geopolitical turbulence has become one of the priorities of the domestic agenda with the formation of political and legal conditions for ensuring electoral sovereignty.
In 2024, many provisions of the constitutional reform were implemented in practice: a single voting day was held, a new National Assembly was elected, and for the first time, the All-Belarusian People's Assembly met as the highest representative body of the people's power. The trend towards sovereignty meets the demands of Belarusian society and allows us to boost the foundations of the constitutional system, reduce to zero the destructive influence of individual political actors, and ensure the transparency and democratic nature of the political process. The experience gained in recent years is actively used in organizing the presidential elections of the Republic of Belarus. The results of rebooting the system of civil society institutions has entailed the strengthening of the role of political parties in the electoral process and had a positive impact on the expansion of political literacy and civic activity of the population.
Quality was a cross-cutting issue in 2024: the economy focused on improving the quality of goods and services as the most important competitive advantage of Belarusian products. Much has been done to improve the quality of life of the population. A striking example is the road repair and modernization program initiated by the Head of State. People are already seeing concrete results, which has a positive effect on the image of the authorities.
The past year has played an important role in strengthening the unity of the Belarusian people. The successful functioning of the economy and the development of the social sphere demonstrated the sustainability of the chosen socio-‑economic model. The fact that the chosen course is supported by society is eloquently evidenced by the participation of Belarusians in significant events for the people, which reflect the true values and achievements of the state.
The large-scale celebration of Victory Day confirmed the perception of the events of the Great Patriotic War as the cornerstone of historical memory, the parade on Independence Day showed the power of the Belarusian army, "Dazhynki", which became a national brand, focused the attention of society on the working man, the "Unity Marathon" further strengthened the ties between all regions of the country...
We can list for a very long time the positive events that filled the past year. And they once again reminded each of us of our unity, the consolidation of society around the ideas of protecting independence and maintaining peace on our land, which is so important today.