New govt formed: Lukashenka picks ‘reliable’ PM with military, diplomatic background
On Thursday, the Belarusian Cabinet of Ministers has been reshuffled. President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has appointed 46-year-old Raman Halouchanka Prime Minister.
Previously, Halouchanka held the post of the chairman of the State Authority for Military Industry; he also worked as a key advisor for the cooperation department of the Security Council and the foreign policy department of the Presidential Administration.
In 2009, Raman Halouchanka was a minister-counsellor at the Embassy of Belarus to Poland. In 2009-2013, he served as First Deputy Chairman of the State Authority for Military Industry. In 2013-2018, he was Ambassador of Belarus to the UAE, with concurrent accredidation to Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. In 2018, Raman Halouchanka took charge of the country’s industrial and military complex.
According to the Belarusian leader, he can fully trust the newly-appointed premier.
“He is a reliable man, a patriot of his country, was born and raised in Belarus. Having traveled the world, he did not stay anywhere, in any country. It is very important for us now that patriots and professionals come to power,” state-run news agency BelTA quotes Lukashenka.
A day earlier, the head of state announced the dismissal of the then Cabinet. Previously, he repeatedly said that he would form a new government even before the 2020 presidential election scheduled for August, 9. According to the Belarusian leader, it is ‘normal practice’. At the same time, Alyaksandr Lukashenka stressed that one should not expect ‘some kind of revolutionary reshuffle’.
