Who is Shushkevich. Stanislav Stanislavovich Shushkevich: biography. The alignment of political forces in parliament

Since 1971 - Head of the Department of Nuclear Physics, Belarusian State University.

In 1972 he received the title of professor.

In 1982 he received the title of Honored Worker of Science and Technology of the BSSR.

In May 1985, for a set of works on the creation and implementation of radioscopic express methods for measuring the concentration of rare earth elements in the national economy, S. S. Shushkevich, together with the staff of the department, was awarded the title of Laureate of the Prize of the Council of Ministers of the USSR; in 1988, together with associate professor M. K. Efimchik - the State Prize of the BSSR for the textbook "Fundamentals of Radio Electronics" for the physical faculties of the USSR.

In 1986-1990, S. S. Shushkevich, while continuing to head the department, worked as Vice-Rector for Research at BSU.

In 1991 he was elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR.

Stanislav Stanislavovich Shushkevich prepared 33 candidates of physical and mathematical sciences, he was the supervisor of 5 doctoral dissertations.

He was invited to lecture at the universities of the GDR (Jena - 1976, 1978), Yugoslavia (Ljubljana - 1966), Poland (Jagiellonian - 1974, 1994, 1997), USA (Harvard - 2000; Yale - 2001; Columbia - 2001). From 1999-2000 he worked at the Woodrow Wilson Research Center in Washington.

The beginning of socio-political and state activities (1986-1991)

Start of opposition activity

Participation in the parliamentary elections of 1989 and 1990

In 1989, the general meeting of BSU was nominated as a candidate for people's deputies of the USSR and won the elections. The policy of the communist leadership regarding the Chernobyl disaster became one of the reasons for his participation in the elections. He was a member of the Interregional Deputy Group.

In 1990 he was elected as a deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR. On November 24, 1990, he became the coordinator of the Democratic Stream deputy group in the Supreme Council of the BSSR (along with Valentin Golubev, Oleg Trusov, Evgeny Tsumarev). In total, this group included about 100 deputies. Later, the "Democratic Club" was created from it, headed by Shushkevich.

The most influential parliamentary factions in the Supreme Council were the "Party Group" (since 1992 - the "Belarus" faction), which included about 150 people's deputies and united party and economic workers, and the "Opposition of the Belarusian People's Front" (faction leader - Zenon Poznyak), including by the end of the term of this parliament 27 people's deputies.

On May 18, 1990, he participated in the elections for the post of Chairman of the Supreme Council, along with Nikolai Dementei, Secretary of the CPB Central Committee for Agriculture, and Hero of the Soviet Union, USSR pilot-cosmonaut Vladimir Kovalyonok. In the first round, none of the candidates received the required number of votes: out of 323 ballots, 161 were cast for Dementei, 101 for Shushkevich, and 47 for Kovalenko. In the second round (320 deputies voted), Dementei won (167 votes), while Shushkevich received 118 votes. May 19, 1990 Shushkevich was elected to the post of First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council.

Acting Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus of the XII convocation (1991)

On August 19-21, 1991, the August putsch took place in Moscow, when a number of high-ranking officials of the Soviet leadership tried to organize a coup d'état. With the start of the putsch, Shushkevich demanded an urgent convocation of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet and an extraordinary session. However, the leadership of the Supreme Council did not want to declare the actions of the putschists illegal, which actually meant support for their actions. In this situation, Shushkevich and the leader of the parliamentary opposition BPF Zianon Poznyak started collecting signatures among deputies for convening an extraordinary session of the Supreme Council.

On August 24-25, 1991, an extraordinary 5th session of the Supreme Council was held. On August 25, 1991, after the failure of the GKChP coup, Dementei was forced to resign from his post as speaker of parliament. After the resignation of Dementei, Shushkevich becomes acting Chairman of the Supreme Council. The most important legislative act adopted by the parliament at this session was the law “On giving the status of a constitutional law to the Declaration of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus on the state sovereignty of the Republic of Belarus” .

Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus of the XII convocation (1991-1994)

Elected Speaker of Parliament

On September 17, 1991, during the extraordinary 6th session, the following candidates were nominated for the post of Chairman of the Supreme Council: Vladimir Zablotsky (member of the parliamentary commission on economic reform, achieving economic independence and sovereignty), Gennady Karpenko (chairman of the parliamentary commission on science and scientific and technical progress), Vyacheslav Kebich (Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus), Stanislav Shushkevich. According to the voting results, Kebich and Shushkevich advanced to the second round. In the second round, none of them won because of a lack of quorum, although Shushkevich was ahead of his competitor, receiving 157 votes (140 deputies voted for Kebich). The next day, September 18, 1991, Kebich recused himself and supported Shushkevich. An alternative to Shushkevich was Leonid Kozik (Chairman of the Commission on Economic Reform, the Achievement of Economic Independence and Sovereignty). As a result of the vote, Shushkevich took the post of Chairman of the Supreme Soviet.

The most important legislative acts adopted at the 6th session of the Supreme Council are the laws "On the name of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic and amendments to the Declaration of the Supreme Council of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic on the state sovereignty of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Constitution (Basic Law) of the Byelorussian SSR", "On the State Emblem of the Republic of Belarus" and "On the State Flag of the Republic of Belarus".

Signing of the Belovezhskaya agreement

On December 7-8, 1991, he became a participant in a meeting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (Viskuli) with the Presidents of Russia Boris Yeltsin and Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk, where a decision was made to liquidate the USSR and create the CIS. As the head of the republic, he signed the Belovezhskaya agreement. On December 10, 1991, the resolutions of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus "On the ratification of the Agreement on the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States" and "On the denunciation of the Treaty of 1922 on the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" were adopted.

Place of Parliament in the political system of the Republic of Belarus

The period of 1991-1994 in the process of transformation of the political system of the Republic of Belarus can be characterized as "a period of struggle for power and for the choice of the type of power" . This stage began with the fact that the conservative majority of the Belarusian parliament, after the failure of the August 1991 putsch, began to make decisions under pressure from the small opposition of the Belarusian Popular Front. The decisions taken include the suspension of the activities of the CPB and the confiscation of its property. This not only radically changed the political situation, but also contributed to the destruction of the former system of state administration. Under these conditions, the problem of choosing the form of government and the structure of state power has become especially relevant.

According to the Belarusian political scientist Vasily Bushchik, “the indecision of the head of state, his fear of taking responsibility for himself, which were covered by references to the lack of authority, led to the fact that, first in a hidden form, and then in an open form, a confrontation began between the legislative and executive branches of power and above all their leaders. In this situation, with the support of the largest parliamentary faction "Belarus" and several small parliamentary associations (veterans, disabled people, etc.) gravitating towards it, real power began to be concentrated in the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus headed by Vyacheslav Kebich. It was in the government that key decisions were made, which were then carried out by the pro-government lobby in parliament among the deputies. Belarusian political scientist Viktor Chernov characterizes the form of government in Belarus in 1991-1994 as a quasi-parliamentary, premier republic.

The alignment of political forces in parliament

Polish political scientist Rafal Chahor identifies two stages in the political life of Belarus from May 1990 to December 1991 .

The first stage, which lasted until August 1991, was characterized by a qualitative change in the political life in the republic in the form of providing an opportunity for opposition politicians to enter the republican parliament through democratic elections. In total, the opposition in the Supreme Council made up 10% of the total composition of the deputy corps, which meant that Belarus de facto entered the initial phase of systemic transformations. At the same time, two political forces were the most visible in the Belarusian parliament: the nomenklatura, which sought to maintain the status quo and opposed the reforms, and the national-democratic opposition represented by the Belarusian Popular Front. By mid-1991, a model was developed in Belarusian political life, according to which the nomenklatura exercised power, and the opposition focused on criticism, paying special attention to issues related to the revival of national life. The polarization of both forces was so significant that a compromise between them was impossible, thus contributing to the inertia of the political system.

The second stage began with the defeat of the GKChP coup, the resignation of Nikolai Dementei from the post of Chairman of the Supreme Council and the temporary weakening of the positions of the communists. Under these conditions, Stanislav Shushkevich, who was elected to the post of speaker of parliament through a compromise between communists and democrats, became the third major subject on the Belarusian political scene. The election of Shushkevich and the fulfillment of some significant demands of the Belarusian Popular Front on the ethnic issue meant that the opposition forces assumed some responsibility for the political and economic situation in the country. A compromise between the nomenklatura and the national democrats could have arisen due to the different priorities of both forces: the nomenklatura focused on maintaining power and control over the economy, the Belarusian Popular Front on issues related to the revival of the Belarusian language and culture.

During 1991-1994 the political life in Belarus was concentrated on the issues of national and state building. In addressing these issues, two visions clashed: the nomenklatura and the national, emphasizing the value of sovereignty, the need to ensure independence from Russia, Belarusianization and the restoration of national identity. Attitudes towards the national question, history and language divided the participants in political life according to their belonging to the ex-party nomenklatura and the opposition.

Shushkevich's political base was connected mainly with the deputy "Democratic Club", and then with the faction of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party "Hromada" (it included about a dozen deputies). However, these parliamentary associations did not have serious political influence. In the conditions of the transforming Belarusian political life in the face of the polarization of its two main formations, there was no political center that would support the speaker of parliament. As a result, Shushkevich was not a very strong figure in the Belarusian political life of 1991-1994. His strength lay solely in the fact that he held the position of head of state. The political activity of the Chairman of the Supreme Council was based on the search for a compromise, taking into account the interests of the ruling elite, with some requirements of the democratic opposition. His activities corresponded to the intentions of the nomenclature, which assumed that the formal entry into power of a representative of the opposition would not have a negative impact on the implementation of its interests. The parliamentary majority, which agreed to elect Shushkevich to the post of speaker of parliament, believed that in return they had the right to demand loyalty and gratitude from him. In practice, Shushkevich, as head of state, was guided by the principle of balancing and taking into account the interests of the two most important political forces, which eventually made him an opponent of the parliamentary ex-communist majority in 1993-1994. The above trait was seen as a political weakness. In fact, the development of a compromise (the most important achievement was the adoption of a new Constitution in 1994, drafted mainly by the Constitutional Commission headed by Shushkevich) was largely due to his ability to reconcile completely different concepts of development.

Stanislav Shushkevich's untapped political potential is evidenced by his considerable public popularity, which contrasts with the trust in Prime Minister Vyacheslav Kebich and BPF Chairman Zianon Pozniak (see Table 1) .

Table 1. Dynamics of social support for individual Belarusian politicians in 1991-1993 (in%)

Relations with the nomenklatura and the opposition in parliament

With the suppression of the August putsch of 1991, power in Belarus still remained in the hands of the nomenklatura. After the collapse of the USSR, the Belarusian ruling elite was at a loss. She lacked the experience of independent political and economic activity, as well as a clear program for the development of the country in conditions of independence. The national-state idea was considered useful for strengthening power, but the Belarusian leadership, the most denationalized among the post-communist elites, was not ready to use this idea. It saw a way out of this situation not in the implementation of democratic, market reforms, the search for Belarus to find its place in the new geopolitical reality, but in the restoration of former economic ties and a close economic union with Russia. Beginning in 1991, the Belarusian nomenklatura began to carry out transformations to the extent that this corresponded to its interests. She adapted the reform processes to her economic and political needs. According to the memoirs of Vyacheslav Kebich, with the election to the post of speaker of the parliament, "having dubbed the heads of enterprises and collective farms" red directors "and" red landlords ", Stanislav Shushkevich forever pushed them away from him" .

Shortly after his resignation from the post of chairman of the Supreme Soviet, Shushkevich described his interaction with the parliamentary majority as follows:

“I do not fit the majority of this parliament. It does not want to build a new society, most of the current deputies want to return to the old one. I still do not understand how I even managed to become the head of the Supreme Council. The communist majority had a fantastic fright in August 1991, and my election became a "great accident" and not a regularity.

According to his worldview, Shushkevich can be considered a moderate nationalist, and his position on the Belarusian national and cultural revival was identical with the position of the parliamentary opposition to the Belarusian Popular Front. Disagreements between the speaker and the opposition concerned the pace of political and economic reforms in Belarus.

With the achievement of state independence by Belarus, the parliamentary opposition of the Belarusian Popular Front demanded that the parliamentary majority of the Supreme Council adopt laws on the national currency and the financial and credit system, the national army, the customs system and borders, and international relations at the embassy level. In addition, the Belarusian Popular Front supported the liquidation of the soviets and the transition to a municipal system of power, economic reform on a market basis, and the revival of national culture and national identity. However , the Belarusian parliament was slow to create an appropriate legal framework .

Zenon Pozniak, characterizing a number of representatives of the Belarusian leadership of the early 1990s, including Shushkevich, claims that they “formed themselves in the communist system, under pressure of circumstances left it, but never said goodbye to its habits and psychology, remained alone foot in Minsk, the other in Moscow.

Shushkevich's differences with the opposition were caused, in particular, by the question of Belarus achieving independence. On May 21, 1991, Shushkevich did not support Zenon Poznyak's proposal to give the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the BSSR of July 27, 1990 the status of a constitutional law. Until the signing of the Belovezhskaya Agreement, Shushkevich was an active participant in the Novoogarevo process, which provided for the conclusion of a new union treaty. In June 1991, he spoke about this in the following way: “The Belarusian Popular Front has never liked that I am for a just Union. You want us to be independent. I almost think it's a joke. I was and remain a supporter of the Union, especially I emphasize - a just Union.

On December 5, 1991, on the eve of the signing of the Belovezhskaya Agreement, Shushkevich met with the BPF opposition in her office. At the same time, the opposition tried to convince the speaker of the parliament of the need to introduce a national currency and create a Belarusian army. However, Shushkevich did not want to come up with such an initiative and advised the opposition to first apply to the relevant commissions of the Supreme Soviet. The disagreements between Shushkevich and the Belarusian Popular Front are evidenced by excerpts from the minutes of that meeting regarding the upcoming meeting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha of the leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine:

Valentin Golubev: “Independence. We do not know your position regarding the future of Belarus. You said that you are in favor of signing an economic agreement. They declared that you would not sign anything political, but now you are doing it. We do not see any advantages for Belarus…”

Zenon Pozniak: “Impression of your activities: ignoring these factors leads to the loss of sovereignty, the economic crisis. The politician must be supported. You have evolved before our eyes. You cannot rely on either the Front or the CPSU. You rely on the policies of Yeltsin and Gorbachev. We are on the verge of losing sovereignty.”

Stanislav Shushkevich: “We have to go a long way towards a policy that the state can pursue…”

In 1992, contrary to the expectations of the BPF opposition, Shushkevich made every effort to ensure that the referendum on early elections to the Supreme Council did not take place. The opposition did not forgive the speaker for the failure of the referendum, but was forced to support it, if only because the head of state strongly opposed the entry of Belarus into the system of collective security of the CIS countries. Therefore, when a real threat of a vote of no confidence hung over Shushkevich in the summer of 1993, the Belarusian Popular Front faction strongly defended the Chairman of the Supreme Council. The opposition brought confusion into the ranks of Shushkevich's opponents, thanks to which he remained in his post. A significant role was played by the fact that the members of the Counting Commission Alexander Shut and Igor Germenchuk refused to sign the final protocol, citing a number of procedural violations. In January 1994, during the re-submission of the question of confidence in the Chairman of the Supreme Council in the Belarusian parliament, the opposition again came to the defense of Shushkevich, but unsuccessfully.

Initiation of the referendum in the Republic of Belarus in 1992 and the position of Shushkevich

At the extraordinary 8th session of the Supreme Council, which began its work a week after the ratification of the Belovezhskaya Agreement, the BPF parliamentary opposition submitted a number of bills, including “On elections to the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus”, “On the constitutional reform of the work of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus”, “On the creation of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus and military issues”, “On the prohibition of political organizations, structures and groups based on anti-human views and teachings”, “On the Control Chamber under the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus”. However, all proposals of the Belarusian Popular Front, except for the issue of the Control Chamber, were rejected by the parliamentary majority.

In connection with the blocking of their bills, the parliamentary opposition issued a statement in which it claimed that at the 8th session “the last chance to improve the work of the incapacitated Supreme Council by reforming it was discarded. The opposition of the Belarusian Popular Front now sees the only way out of the hopeless impasse of power - this is an all-Belarusian referendum, at which it is necessary to raise questions about the resignation of the government and confidence in the Supreme Council.

On February 13, 1992, the Central Commission for the Referendum of the Republic of Belarus registered the question of the Initiative Group for holding a referendum on early elections to the Supreme Council: “Do you consider it necessary to hold elections in the autumn of 1992 to the supreme body of state power of the Republic of Belarus on the basis of the law “On the Elections of People’s Deputies of the Republic of Belarus”, the draft of which was submitted by the Belarusian Popular Front opposition in the Supreme Council, and in connection with this, the early dissolution of the current Supreme Council?” and gave permission to collect signatures.

On April 13, 1992, the Initiative Group submitted 442,032 citizens' signatures in support of the referendum to the Central Commission.

On May 11, 1992, the Conclusion was published on the results of the verification of the referendum signature sheets submitted by the Referendum Initiative Group to the Central Commission for the Referendum of the Republic of Belarus. According to this document, 62,283 signatures were excluded from the total number of collected signatures, as collected or executed with various deviations from the requirements of the Law “On popular voting (referendum) in the Republic of Belarus”. However, the Initiative Group complied with the requirement of the law, according to which at least 350,000 signatures of citizens are required to initiate a referendum. The Central Commission sent the final act of the Initiative Group on the Referendum to the Presidium of the Supreme Council. However , by the decision of the Parliament , consideration of the question of the referendum was postponed to the autumn of 1992 .

The issue of a referendum was considered in the Supreme Council during the 10th session. On October 29, 1992, only 35 people voted for the draft resolution on holding a referendum on December 6, 1992, proposed by the BPF deputy group. The draft resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Council on the rejection of the referendum was supported by 202 people's deputies.

In order to give greater legitimacy to the decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Council to reject the referendum, on October 29, 1992, the Supreme Council adopted two resolutions at once: “On the proposal of a group of citizens of the Republic of Belarus to hold a republican referendum” and “On the Statement of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus “On the need to accelerate constitutional reforms in the Republic of Belarus".

Legislative activity: general characteristics

During Shushkevich's tenure as Chairman of the Supreme Council, the foundations of the national and state building of the Republic of Belarus were laid.

On November 3, 1992, the Belarusian parliament adopted the Laws "On Defense" and "On the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus". On November 4, 1992, the Law "On the State Border of the Republic of Belarus" was approved.

In addition, under the leadership of Shushkevich, the parliament adopted important laws in the field of cultural and social life of the country: “On National Minorities in the Republic of Belarus” of November 11, 1992, “On the Protection of Historical and Cultural Heritage” of November 13, 1992, “On Freedom of Conscience and religious organizations” dated December 17, 1992 .

In the economic sphere, the Supreme Council approved such laws as "On the privatization of state property and the transformation of state unitary enterprises into open joint-stock companies" dated January 19, 1993, "On the right of ownership of land" dated June 16, 1993, "On nominal privatization checks of the Republic of Belarus » dated July 6, 1993 .

Also, the period when Shushkevich was in power is connected with the entry of independent Belarus into the international arena. On April 24, 1992, the Parliament adopted resolutions “On the Membership of the Republic of Belarus in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development” and “On the Membership of the Republic of Belarus in the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Finance Corporation, the International Development Association and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency” . On January 4, 1992, the Supreme Council approved the resolution “On the accession of the Republic of Belarus to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons of July 1, 1968”, on June 3, 1992 - “On the procedure for the succession of the Republic of Belarus in relation to international treaties of the former USSR”, October 21, 1992 - "On the ratification of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe of November 19, 1990 and the Agreement on the principles and procedure for the implementation of this Treaty of May 15, 1992" .

In general, during the period of its activity, the Supreme Council of the XII convocation (1990-1995) adopted about 500 legislative acts. It is indicative that the same number was adopted by the Supreme Soviets of the BSSR from the beginning of their functioning in 1938 until 1990.

According to the Belarusian jurist Grigory Vasilevich, "the main directions of improving legislation, updating it in the early 90s were the provision, development of new economic relations, restructuring of state bodies, strengthening guarantees, rights and legitimate interests of citizens" .

A general assessment of the legislative activity of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus in the early 1990s was given by Shushkevich in his election program "Statehood, democracy, the market - the path to prosperity", published in the Belarusian periodical press on the eve of the presidential elections in the Republic of Belarus in 1994. The program, in particular, stated that after the adoption of the laws "On Property in the BSSR" of December 11, 1990, "On Enterprises" of December 14, 1990, "On Banks and Banking Activities" of December 14, 1990, "On Entrepreneurship in the BSSR” of May 28, 1991, “On Foreign Investments in the Territory of the Republic of Belarus” of November 14, 1991, for a full transition to a market economy, it was necessary to carry out public privatization and stabilization of the Belarusian monetary system. In Shushkevich's opinion, the slow transition to new economic relations was caused by the disinterest of the ruling nomenklatura in carrying out reforms. “Most of them are not able to work in a new way, do not want to earn a living by hard work, like ordinary people, so she rebelled against the reforms,” the program stated.

The process of development and adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus in 1994

In the period from October 29, 1992 to January 26, 1994, Shushkevich headed the Constitutional Commission of the Supreme Council. The commission itself was created in June 1991 and was initially headed by Nikolai Dementei. The purpose of its activities was the development of a new Basic Law.

During the period of the commission's work, three drafts of the new Constitution were published in the Belarusian press: in December 1991, August 1992 and September 1993.

The most acute in the process of adopting the new Basic Law of the Republic of Belarus was the issue of introducing the institute of presidency. The 1991 constitutional draft provided that the President was both head of state and executive power. However, the draft of 1992 unambiguously consolidated the position that the President is only the head of state. In turn, the authors of the 1993 draft returned to the idea of ​​a “strong” President, endowing him with the functions of head of state and executive power. Shushkevich, in turn, advocated the introduction of a "weak" President, who would be only the head of state and would exercise only representative functions.

On February 5, 1993, the Supreme Council adopted a resolution "On the Draft Constitution of the Republic of Belarus", which provided for article-by-article consideration of the new Constitution at the spring session of the Supreme Council in 1993.

The article-by-article discussion took place in two stages: from May 19 to May 27, 1993 and from November 30 to December 1, 1993.

At the first stage, 109 articles were considered and 62 articles were fully approved, partially - the preamble and 22 articles. The titles of the sections were also approved: "Fundamentals of the constitutional system", "Person, society and the state", "Electoral system, referendum", "Legislative, executive and judicial power", "Financial system", "The operation of the Constitution and the procedure for changing it".

At the second stage, 26 draft articles were approved. As a result, the number of articles increased to 88. The titles of the remaining sections and heads, as well as the preamble, were also adopted. The name of one section was not approved - about the President.

On January 26, 1994, Shushkevich was dismissed from the post of Chairman of the Supreme Council, after which Mieczysław Hryb took this position on January 28, 1994. On February 1, 1994, Grib became the head of the Constitutional Commission. The remaining provisions of the constitutional draft were approved by the Belarusian parliament during February-March 1994. The Constitution of the Republic of Belarus was adopted on March 15, 1994 by 236 people's deputies with a quorum of 231 people.

The process of drafting and adopting a new Constitution was slowed down for a number of reasons. Among them, it is necessary to include the absence at that time of independent experience in the development of such documents. During the existence of the USSR, draft legislative acts were developed either in the Central Committee of the CPB or in Moscow. In addition, political reasons also negatively affected the constitutional process. Elected in relatively democratic elections, the Supreme Soviet of the 12th convocation was not a classical parliament. It was dominated by deputies, many of whom, being members of the Constitutional Commission, held diametrically opposed views on the political system of Belarus.

Shushkevich's foreign policy

In the early 1990s, the main directions of the foreign policy of the Republic of Belarus were: strengthening real sovereignty and independence, cooperation with the CIS countries, establishing good neighborly relations with neighboring countries, turning Belarus into a nuclear-free and neutral state, "returning to Europe" and developing ties with countries West, international assistance in the liquidation of the results of the Chernobyl accident.

Shushkevich approached the solution of the military issue in the context of the constitutional requirements for the transformation of Belarus into a nuclear-free zone and a neutral country. He believed that the Republic of Belarus should only temporarily remain in the bloc system and keep nuclear weapons. The ultimate goal of Belarus, in his opinion, was integration into a nuclear-free Europe, neutrality, participation in collective security within the framework of the UN.

By the mid-1990s, special results in the foreign policy of the Republic of Belarus were achieved in the field of nuclear disarmament and arms control. As a legacy from the USSR, Belarus received the largest military concentration in the world: 1 military man for 43 civilians. In accordance with the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), which Belarus joined in 1992, the country destroyed 10% of the weapons and equipment eliminated by all 30 CFE member states. In the same 1992, tactical nuclear weapons were withdrawn from the country. In 1993, the Belarusian parliament ratified the Treaty on Strategic Offensive Arms (START-1) and the Lisbon Protocol of 1992, which provided for Belarus' accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a non-nuclear state. In November 1996, strategic nuclear weapons were withdrawn from the territory of Belarus, and thus it became a nuclear-free state. The consistent policy of the Republic of Belarus in the field of nuclear disarmament has received high international recognition.

During Shushkevich's visit to the United States, a "Joint Declaration on Relations between the United States of America and the Republic of Belarus" was adopted. In accordance with the text of the declaration, the United States expressed its full support for the Republic of Belarus in its intention to achieve a permanent neutral status and pursue a foreign policy of neutrality. In addition, according to the document, the Republic of Belarus confirmed its readiness to build a market economy through structural reforms and create conditions for investors to modernize and rebuild its economy. In turn, the United States promised the Republic of Belarus assistance in economic stabilization, privatization, reorganization, free trade and foreign investment.

At the invitation of Stanislav Shushkevich, Bill Clinton paid an official visit to Minsk on January 15, 1994. During the meeting, the American President expressed high US appreciation of the leading role of Belarus in the field of disarmament. Clinton also spoke in favor of accelerated economic reform in Belarus, which would favor greater bilateral and international assistance.

In 1991-1994, the mechanisms for developing, adopting and implementing the foreign policy of the Republic of Belarus were concentrated in the Supreme Council and the Council of Ministers.

Minsk, having declared a course towards neutrality and a nuclear-free status, made attempts to find new foreign policy priorities. Without abandoning the strategic course towards comprehensive cooperation with Russia and the rest of the CIS countries, the Belarusian leadership, primarily Stanislav Shushkevich, was looking for a new location for Belarus on the political map of Europe as a place between East and West. Stanislav Shushkevich and Foreign Minister Piotr Kravchenko were the only ones in an effort to weaken the economic, political and military dependence of Belarus on Russia and at the same time strengthen political and trade relations with the countries of Central and Western Europe and the United States.

On April 9, 1993, during a speech at the extraordinary 11th session of the Supreme Council, Shushkevich expressed his understanding of the geopolitical position that Belarus should occupy:

“In the field of foreign policy - strengthening the independence of the state, capable of taking its rightful place in the world community. Models of our state can be different. It may be a closed national-ethnic state, resurrecting only on the values ​​of previous generations. It can be a Slavic choice: the Moscow-Kyiv-Minsk triangle or the Minsk-Moscow axis. I am a supporter of the third option: a neutral, politically stable state that does not clearly put forward either eastern or western priorities, but in its economic and political strategy seeks to be a contact state, a source of stability in the region.

Today, we have clearly identified the eastern priority, and we must perceive this as a reality. We must support and develop it, but it must not stop other contacts, including contacts with the West.”

Shushkevich's course towards an active foreign policy in the East and West was opposed by the line of the Kebich government and the parliamentary majority towards "restoring broken economic ties" with Russia and other countries of the former USSR and the entry of the Republic of Belarus into the CIS collective security system. As the socio-economic crisis worsened, voices about the impossibility of a normal, full-fledged development of the country without Russia sounded more and more strongly among the ruling elite of Belarus.

Procedure for the resignation of the Speaker of Parliament

Shushkevich's negative position on the accession of the Republic of Belarus to the Collective Security Treaty of the CIS countries sharply shook his position in the Supreme Council. Representatives of the parliamentary majority, primarily the pro-government Belarus faction, began to openly demand the resignation of the speaker.

The first attempt of people's deputies to remove Shushkevich from the post of Chairman of the Supreme Council took place in late June - early July 1993. On July 1, 1993, a secret ballot was held on the question “Do you trust the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus S. S. Shushkevich? Yes? Not?" 166 people voted for distrust of the speaker, only 27 for trust. Despite the fact that only eight votes were not enough to make a decision, in fact this meant a political defeat for Shushkevich.

On December 14, 1993, during the parliamentary session, Alexander Lukashenko, chairman of the temporary commission of the Supreme Council for studying the activities of commercial structures under government and administration, made a report. He accused almost all high-ranking officials of the state, in particular Shushkevich and Kebich, of being involved in illegal activities. The speaker was charged with underpayment for repairs carried out by a government construction organization. However, Shushkevich was on a visit to Tashkent at that time, so he was not present at the report. However, the people's deputies only needed an excuse to dismiss the speaker.

On January 15 , 1994 , officers of the Lithuanian special services arrested on the territory of Belarus two major leaders of the Lithuanian Communist Party -- Mykolas Burokevicius and Juozas Ermalavicius , who were involved in organizing the events in Lithuania in January 1991 . With the full connivance of the Belarusian law enforcement agencies and border guards, both Lithuanians were transported without hindrance through the Kamenny Log checkpoint. In this regard, the Supreme Council organized a procedure of nominal voting on confidence in officials: the Prosecutor General, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Chairman of the KGB. According to the results of the nominal vote on January 25, 1994, the Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Yegorov and the Chairman of the KGB Eduard Shirkovsky were fired. However, the minimum number of deputies spoke out in favor of distrusting Vasily Sholodonov.

Subsequently, a group of people's deputies, headed by Piotr Prokopovich, collected 100 signatures of parliamentarians (supporters of Kebich) in order to prepare a draft resolution on recalling the speaker. Under the influence of people's deputies Alexander Lukashenko, Viktor Gonchar and Dmitry Bulakhov, the draft resolution was written: to include in the agenda questions about the recall of S. S. Shushkevich and the dismissal of V. F. Kebich. The project was adopted with a minimal margin: 179 - "for" with a quorum of 174.

On the evening of January 26, 1994, the results of the secret ballot became known. 101 people's deputies voted for Kebich's resignation, 175 people's deputies voted against. In turn, 209 people's deputies voted for Shushkevich's recall, and only 36 were against.

Deputy of the Supreme Council of the XII convocation and Minister of Agriculture in 1994-1997 Vasily Leonov recalls the resignation of the speaker as follows:

“I remember that session when Stanislav Shushkevich was removed from the post of head of parliament. Filmed not only for the fact that, with his connivance, the Lithuanian special services were extradited to the Lithuanian orthodox communists who found shelter in Belarus. Tired of his rejection, constant refusals of power actions. They told him: “Okay, Kebich doesn’t want to - so come on, you offer!” But he didn't offer anything either. And the extradition of the communists became an event-detonator, provoked a parliamentary explosion. I do not want to say that it was some kind of conspiracy. For example, no one persuaded me or campaigned to vote against Shushkevich. And many other deputies with whom I had to talk on this topic both then and later. Simply - accumulated fatigue and irritation. Shushkevich, Kebich, Prosecutor General Vasily Sholodonov, KGB Chairman Eduard Shirkovskiy, Interior Minister Vladimir Yegorov actually started drowning each other in their speeches, including, of course, Shushkevich. They contradicted each other, and this added fuel to the fire even more. But no one thought that this quarrel would lead to the immediate resignation of the highest official of the state. This is also evidenced by the fact that the parliamentary majority did not even have a well-thought-out and agreed-upon candidate to replace Shushkevich. Only later did someone come up with the name Mieczysław Hryb.”

Reasons for resignation

According to the Belarusian historian Alexander Kuryanovich, “the resignation of S. S. Shushkevich was due to his controversial activities, the idealization of a political compromise in cases where decisiveness and even toughness were required. The absence of a distinct ideological and political face is the main reason for the fall of S. S. Shushkevich.

In the opinion of Vasily Leonov, “Shushkevich did not fully understand his role. He held the position of head of state, and as head of state he was responsible for everything and everyone. He spoke discriminating both the state and his personal nonsense, like answering a woman who did not know how to feed five children: “You gave birth, you think about it.” He failed to rely on the partycrats, who elected him speaker and offered him help... And one of Shushkevich's main mistakes was precisely that he did not want to rely on these people, those who had managerial experience and who understood the need for change. Many of the old members of the party were ready to follow him and serve the cause. But Shushkevich did not want this. On the other hand, for obvious reasons, he did not want to join the right wing either. And, due to his administrative inexperience, he ended up with nothing. It seems that he did not rely on anyone, he did not seem to be responsible for anything. And I couldn't help but lose."

Former deputy of the Supreme Council of the 12th convocation and member of the BPF parliamentary opposition Valentin Golubev claims that an important reason for the resignation of the speaker was that “the political rating of S. S. Shushkevich at that time was significantly higher than that of V. F. Kebich. Therefore, the adoption of the new Constitution and the introduction of the post of president while retaining S. S. Shushkevich as chairman of the Supreme Council was quite risky for the nomenklatura. V. F. Kebich and his team believed that with the removal of S. S. Shushkevich from the post of chairman of the Supreme Council, their victory in the presidential elections became almost guaranteed. In addition, S. S. Shushkevich was very cautious about the introduction of the post of president in Belarus. He believed that Belarus should be a parliamentary republic, and the president should remain only the head of state. Thus, the position of the chairman of the Supreme Council did not coincide with the position of the supporters of V.F. Kebich regarding the powers of the president, and this was also one of the reasons why S.S. Shushkevich lost his post.

Participation in the 1994 presidential election

On March 29, 1994, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus adopted the law "On Elections of the President of the Republic of Belarus". A presidential candidate could be a citizen of the Republic of Belarus at least 35 years old, who had the right to vote and lived in the Republic of Belarus for at least 10 years. To be nominated as a presidential candidate, it was necessary to collect at least 100 thousand signatures of voters or 70 signatures of deputies of the Supreme Council. It was not forbidden to collect signatures of voters and deputies for the same candidate at the same time.

On March 30, 1994, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus adopted a resolution "On holding elections of the President of the Republic of Belarus", according to which the day of the election of the President of the Republic of Belarus was scheduled for July 23, 1994.

On April 6, 1994, the Central Commission for the Election of the President of the Republic of Belarus adopted a resolution "On reduced terms for holding certain preliminary events when choosing the first President of the Republic of Belarus", which provided for the nomination of candidates for the President of the Republic of Belarus, starting from April 25 and ending on May 14, 1994.

In the autumn of 1993, at the initiative of the United Democratic Party of Belarus and the Belarusian Peasant Party, the Association of Democratic Forces "Spring-94" was created. A number of political parties, organizations and trade unions joined this association, including the Belarusian Social Democratic Hromada, the Confederation of Labor and the Association of Entrepreneurs of Belarus. On February 21, 1994, the association "Spring-94" held a consultation meeting, at which it was decided to support the candidacy of Shushkevich as a single candidate from the opposition (371,967 signatures of voters were collected); Chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front Zianon Pozniak (216,855); Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party of Communists of Belarus Vasily Novikov (183,836); deputy of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus, director of the state farm "Gorodets" of the Shklovsky district Alexander Lukashenko (156,391); head of the Union of Agrarians of Belarus Alexander Dubko (116,693) .

On June 10, 1994, Shushkevich's election program "Statehood, democracy, market - the path to prosperity" was published in the newspaper "Respublika". The main provisions of the economic part of the program were as follows: urgent creation of an efficient financial system based on a convertible currency; maximum reduction of the tax burden to stimulate production; the rapid creation of a significant non-state sector in the economy; the beginning of the restructuring of agriculture with complete freedom to choose forms of management and ownership; preservation and expansion of sales markets and sources of resources in foreign economic activity; decisive renewal and reduction of the power structure; implementation of a policy of urgent material assistance to the population, primarily the socially unprotected (since 1998).

Retirement

With his retirement, he received 3,200 Belarusian rubles per month (a little more than $ 1), which was the reason for applying for explanations to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus. Formally, this was due to the fact that more than two years after Shushkevich's resignation from the post of Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus, this position was abolished, and the indexation of wages for this position and the pension linked to it ceased to be carried out.

In 1951 he graduated from school with a medal, in 1956 - the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the Belarusian State University, in 1959 - postgraduate studies at the Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR.

In 1960 - 1961 S.S. Shushkevich worked at the Special Design Bureau of the Radio Plant in Minsk.

In 1961 - 1963 - Chief Engineer of the Laboratory of the Department of Nuclear Physics of the Belarusian State University.

In 1963 he defended his Ph.D. thesis at the Belarusian State University.

In 1963 - 1965 - Associate Professor of the Department of Nuclear Physics of the Belarusian State University.

In 1966 - 1970. - Vice-rector for scientific work of the Minsk Radio Engineering Institute.

In 1970 S.S. Shushkevich defended his doctoral dissertation in Moscow at VNIIOFI.

Since 1971 - Head of the Department of Nuclear Physics, Belarusian State University.

In 1972 S.S. Shushkevich was awarded the title of professor.

In 1982 S.S. Shushkevich was awarded the title of Honored Worker of Science and Technology of the BSSR.

In May 1985, for a set of works on the creation and implementation in the national economy of radioscopic express methods for measuring the concentration of rare earth elements, S.S. Shushkevich, together with the staff of the department, was awarded the title of Laureate of the Prize of the Council of Ministers of the USSR; in 1988, together with associate professor M.K. Efimchik - the State Prize of the BSSR for the textbook "Fundamentals of Radio Electronics" for the physics departments of the universities of the USSR.

In 1986 - 1990 S.S. Shushkevich, continuing to head the department, worked as Vice-Rector for Research at BSU.

S.S. Shushkevich prepared 33 candidates of science, of which 7 became doctors of science.

In 1989, the general meeting of BSU S.S. Shushkevich was nominated as a candidate for People's Deputies of the USSR and won the elections. In 1990, he was elected to the Supreme Council of the BSSR and in the same year became the First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council of the BSSR. In 1991 he was elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR.

In 1991 - 1994 S.S. Shushkevich is the chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus, in 1996 he was again elected a deputy of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus (13th convocation).

By the time S.S. Shushkevich as the head of the Department of Nuclear Physics was the largest scientific and pedagogical division of the Faculty of Physics. As in the case of its management by Professor A.N. Pisarevsky continued to create new laboratories and sectors on it, performing a large amount of research work, financed mainly on the basis of contracts with scientific research and industrial organizations of the USSR. Orders for research were carried out for institutions in Moscow, Leningrad, Tbilisi, Vladivostok, Dushanbe, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Usolye Sibirsky, Rostov, Kyiv, Odessa and other cities of the Soviet Union. Teachers of the department were invited to give lectures in other cities and foreign universities. In particular, Professor Shushkevich gave lectures on nuclear electronics and magnetic resonance spectroscopy at the University of Ljubljana (Yugoslavia), the Jagiellonian University in Krakow and three times at the Jena University of the GDR.

The groups of employees who carried out the research consisted mainly of yesterday's BSU graduates who specialized in the department. Many of them, in fact, have formed new research laboratories, closely related to the educational process at the university. They became the core of new research institutes and pedagogical subdivisions that emerged at BSU and at BSU, including the Research Institute of Nuclear Problems, the Department of Biophysics and the College named after Academician A.D. Sakharov.

Since the 70s, the Department of Nuclear Physics and the Peaceful Use of Atomic Energy has participated in international, all-Union and republican exhibitions almost every year. For devices developed and created by employees, medals were received at the exhibitions of VDNKh of the USSR and the BSSR, in Yugoslavia, Mongolia, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany.

Well-known scientists were invited as lecturers to the department. Among them is Academician Andrei Kapitonovich Krasin, director of the Institute of Nuclear Energy of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR, one of the founders of the world's first nuclear power plant, Academician Mikhail Alexandrovich Elyashevich.

The laboratory workshop of the department was systematically updated and provided not only students of the physics department, but was a basic workshop for the faculty for advanced training of teachers of higher educational institutions of the USSR at the Belarusian State University. A permanent lecturer for the students of this faculty was Professor S.S. Shushkevich.

Stanislav Stanislavovich Shushkevich is a well-known Belarusian public figure. It was he, as a representative of the Republic, who signed the Belovezhskaya Accords in 1991. In addition to his political career, Stanislav Stanislavovich distinguished himself in the scientific field. The track record of a public figure is quite extensive - the politician not only received several academic degrees, Stanislav Shushkevich was also awarded state awards.

Biography: childhood and youth

The future politician was born in the city of Minsk - the capital of the Republic of Belarus. Stanislav Shushkevich was born on December 15, 1934. The family of a public figure was peasant by origin. Both parents worked as teachers. Mother was also a translator and writer. She often published her works in printed editions of Poland. My father was also engaged in creativity, Stanislav Petrovich wrote both poetry and prose. When little Stanislav was barely three years old, his father was repressed. He served the entire term in corrective labor, worked in the mines of Kuzbass. In the forty-sixth year, Shushkevich's father returned to Belarus and began working as a teacher at a local school, he was released ahead of schedule. However, three years later, Stanislav Petrovich was again arrested. This time, the place of his exile was the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Shushkevich Sr. was finally released only in 1956.

The status of the son of an enemy of the people did not have much effect on little Stanislav. The boy did not break down, but, on the contrary, he studied well. After graduating from a comprehensive school in the fifty-first year, he entered the Belarusian State University. In those days, this was a fairly high achievement for a young man. Shushkevich chose the direction of physics and mathematics. In his last year, he decided to enter the graduate school of the Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Byelorussian SSR.

Carier start

Thanks to studying at the institute, Stanislav Shushkevich became a highly qualified specialist in the field of radio electronics. For about a year he worked at the same Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Byelorussian SSR, but already as a junior researcher. But such labor activity did not suit him, so Shushkevich became an employee of a special design bureau at the Minsk Radio Plant.

At the new place, the future politician was offered the position of senior engineer. But the young specialist worked there for only one year, during which he was engaged in the development, study and manufacture of physical instruments and equipment. An interesting fact is also that Stanislav Shushkevich worked at that time with Lee Harvey Oswald, who would later be called the official assassin of President Kennedy. Thanks to his excellent knowledge of English, it was Stanislav Shushkevich who was entrusted to deal with the American.

Scientific activity

After working for a year at the plant, Stanislav Shushkevich decided to return to scientific activity. In this area, he developed quite successfully:

1. In the sixty-first year, he was immediately accepted into the Belarusian State University. V. I. Lenin for the vacancy of a senior engineer.
2. Position of chief engineer.
3. Work as the head of the laboratory sector.
4. Six years later, given to the Belarusian State University. V. I. Lenin, Stanislav Stanislavovich moved to the Minsk Radio Engineering Institute, where he took the post of Vice-Rector for Science. But the activity of the scientist there was complicated by one fact - he was not a member of the party. For this reason, Stanislav Stanislavovich could not take part in the most important meetings related to the educational institution. The city committee of the party quickly helped the vice-rector and accepted him into the party.
5. In the sixty-ninth year he received the academic title of professor.
6. He returned to the Belarusian State University. V. I. Lenin. There, Stanislav Stanislavovich was welcomed with open arms and appointed head of the Department of Nuclear Physics.
7. Three years later, he was promoted to the position of vice-rector for science.

Stanislav Shushkevich was a very successful scientist. This can only be judged by the fact that he was often invited to lecture at universities in other states.

Achievement list

Stanislav Stanislavovich Shushkevich at the beginning of his political career was a fairly successful, authoritative and respected person in scientific circles. He already had many titles, titles and merits. In addition to the fact that everyone knew Stanislav Stanislavovich as an outstanding scientist, he was engaged in publishing activities, releasing several scientific works of his own writing. The scientist also published articles. Stanislav Shushkevich, in addition, is known for his status as a corresponding member of the Belarusian Academy of Sciences. Shushkevich was nominated for many state awards. He was also engaged in practical activities, which led to the creation of fifty inventions.

Political role

The political career of the scientist was quite rapid. In the ninetieth year, he was elected to the post of First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council of Belarus. But the coup d'état, which happened a year later, greatly excited Shushkevich. In August 1991, he became Acting Chairman of the Supreme Council, and then the Chairman himself. The main direction of his activity as a leader was to ensure the transition of the domestic economy to the market sector.

Contribution to independence

Stanislav Shushkevich is a Belarusian politician who is known for making at least one, but very important decision. On December 8, 1991, at the former party recreation center in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, representatives of the three union republics gathered to improve production and economic relations. But their decision turned out to be more radical and resulted in a document according to which the USSR was liquidated, and the Commonwealth of Independent States was created in place of the Union.

But Stanislav Shushkevich as a politician soon ceased to be a significant figure. He tried to introduce a market economy, but all the actions taken only led to an increase in inflation. In the ninety-fourth year, he was forced to leave his post. Shushkevich tried to make another decisive breakthrough in the presidential elections, but such a decision did not bring the desired results.

Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (1970), Professor (1973), Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (1991).

Biography

Born December 15, 1934 in Minsk. Parents - teachers, natives of peasants. Father - a writer, was repressed in the 1930s, released in 1956.

In 1951 he graduated from high school, in 1956 - the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the Belarusian State University (BSU), in 1959 - postgraduate studies at the Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Belarusian SSR.

Specialist in the field of radio electronics.

Subject of doctoral dissertation: "Information parameters of signals".

1959 - junior researcher at the Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR

In June 1994, he took part in the presidential elections, received about 10% in the first round and did not go to the second round (Alexander Lukashenko won in the second round).

Signed a statement to the Constitutional Court of Belarus on the impeachment of President Lukashenko. He did not recognize the results of the November (1996) referendum on changing the Belarusian Constitution and refused to enter the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, formed on the basis of the results of the referendum.

An active figure in the Belarusian opposition. Chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Hromada party? (since 1998). In 2007, Lech Walesa nominated Shushkevich for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Awards

• Honored Worker of Science and Technology of the Byelorussian SSR (1982).
• Laureate of the Prize of the Council of Ministers of the USSR
• Laureate of the State Prize of the BSSR
• Laureate of the International Ukrainian Prize named after Pylyp Orlyk (1997)
• Laureate of the Jan Nowak Jeziranski International Polish Prize
• Commander of the Order of Vytautas the Great (Lithuania, 2010) - for active support of Lithuanian independence in 1991

Born into a family of educated people, Stanislav Stanislavovich Shushkevich understood from childhood that politics is a serious matter. Father, a writer, was repressed under Stalin, he stayed in the camp for about 20 years. Even then, Shushkevich will dream of living in another country, with different rules.

Young Stanislav wanted to be a mathematician-scientist. To do this, he entered the Belarusian State University and even made himself some kind of profession in the academic environment. A professorship, the Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR - things are serious. At one time, he rose to the rank of vice-rector of BSU for scientific work. But work in the CPSU did its job. He has been a party member since 1968.

Despite the fact that Shushkevich was not an active communist, his political career was much faster than his scientific one. So, for many years lecturing on nuclear physics (including at international universities) made him a person dedicated to science and education. He became a People's Deputy of the USSR only in 1989. And two years later he was already signing the Belovezhskaya Accords ...

On September 9, 1991, Shushkevich was elected Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus. He was one of the first to condemn the coup, one of the few who opposed the continuation of the existence of the USSR. In December 1991, together with Yeltsin and Kravchuk, he signed agreements on the termination of the existence of the USSR. Later, he ambiguously assessed them, calling the presidents of the independent republics either great people or indulging in nostalgia for the times of the BSSR.

Of course, these statements are not born in a vacuum. Lukashenka came to power in 1994, and he did it by compromising Shushkevich. The ambitious Lukashenka created a commission, as a result of which, in January 1994, Shushkevich was removed from the post of chairman of the Supreme Council; and in the elections in June of the same year, Stanislav Stanislavovich takes only fourth place, without going through to the second round.

Resentment against Lukashenka haunts Shushkevich even now. It would seem that a 78-year-old professor could easily lecture at his native Belarusian State University! But no. Shushkevich today is the leader of the Hramada party, an active oppositionist and critic of the president. All Shushkevich's activities are now focused on this, and it seems that he is not going to stop.

This is how the person who created a free Belarus suffered from this himself. Next year will be 20 years of uninterrupted rule of Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko. And many Belarusians are against it. Will they unite around Shushkevich? Or will it be a different politician? Time will put everything in its place. Today Stanislav Shushkevich is still the same politician, but no longer playing a big role within the country. The old professor is more popular with his foreign physicist colleagues than with his native citizens - residents of Belarus.