Use the excerpt to answer the question.

Question

Use the excerpt to answer the question.

“Mr Lukashenko, who has been in power for 18 years, is banned from travelling to the United States and western Europe. He has been accused of torture and human rights abuses—he has thrown his opponents in prison, banned protests and restricted freedom of expression. . . . There is no presidential term limit here [Belarus] and the 1996 referendum consolidated Mr Lukashenko’s power. Not a single election in Belarus has been deemed as free or fair by the West. Not a single opposition candidate won a seat in the recent, parliamentary vote. Protests have been violently supressed.”

—BBC News, October 22, 2012

What type of government does Belarus have?

(1 point)
Responses

democracy
democracy

constitutional monarchy
constitutional monarchy

dictatorship
dictatorship

absolute monarchy

Answer 1

dictatorship

Answer 2

Based on the information provided in the excerpt, Belarus has a dictatorship government. This is evident from the fact that President Lukashenko has been in power for 18 years, has been accused of human rights abuses and restricting freedom, and there is no presidential term limit. The lack of free and fair elections and the violent suppression of protests further support the characterization of a dictatorship.

Answer 3

Based on the excerpt provided, Belarus is described as having a dictatorship. The country has had the same president, Mr. Lukashenko, in power for 18 years, there are no presidential term limits, and the president is accused of human rights abuses, throwing opponents in prison, banning protests, and restricting freedom of expression. Additionally, the fact that not a single opposition candidate won a seat in the recent parliamentary vote and protests have been violently suppressed further suggests a lack of fair and democratic processes in the country. Therefore, the correct answer is dictatorship.