The Belarusian president has given an instruction to keep a tab on the prices in Minsk ahead of New Year holidays on Tuesday.
“At the end of a difficult year people deserve to make purchases at reasonable prices. The main objective is to prevent price hikes during this period,” state-run news agency BelTA quotes Aliaksandr Lukashenka as saying.
Lukashenka ordered Andrey Shorats, a newly-appointed mayor of Minsk, to ‘raise people’s mood’. At that, he added that ot only in Russia but some businessmen in Belarus want to ‘line their pockets’.
“There are a few such people in Belarus. We must do our best to prevent them from pushing up prices,” he stressed.
The president told the Minsk mayor that he is in charge of prices and order in Minsk although the Trade Ministry has been authorized to control pricing.
“Therefore, do your best to prepare Minsk for these holidays, to raise people’s mood. The main thing is to take care of children,” Lukashenka said. “Minsk is an example for the entire country.”
Meanwhile, the National Department of Statistics notes a steady, but not sharp, growth in prices. Last month price for vegetables grew by 33.4%, for eggs – by 4.4%, for sausages – 2.7%, for cheese – 2.3%.
Aliaksandr Lukashenka is notorious for breaking his promises, including pre-holiday ones. For example, in December, 2008 he swore that no devaluation of the Belarusian rubel was not forthcoming at that moment. But hardly had January begun when Belarus devalued its currency by about one-fifth. It fell to 2,650 roubles to the US dollar from 2,200 roubles per dollar. The average monthly wage in Belarus was worth $400 at the end of 2008, a value that has fallen to $332 after the devaluation.
