Staff reshuffles in Belarus ahead of presidential campaign

President Lukashenko dismissed Oleg Proleskovsky as Information Minister and appointed a new spokesperson in his administration.

The president is reshuffling public officials who will be responsible for the presidential campaign’s success in 2015: recently, some regional heads and regional law enforcement heads were replaced. Influenced by events in Ukraine, Belarusian authorities are tightening the screws for state agencies and officials responsible for national security and public safety, primarily, for the law enforcement agencies and regional leadership. Their goal is to improve executives’ discipline and reduce manifestations of corruption, as well as to fine-tune the information and propaganda machine in counteracting potential external information threats.