<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section is empty . You can help by adding to it . (February 2016) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section is empty . You can help by adding to it . (February 2016) </Td> </Tr> <P> Lukashenko promotes himself as a "man of the people ." Due to his style of rule, he is often informally referred to as бацька (bats'ka, "daddy"). He was elected chairman of the Belarusian Olympic Committee in 1997 . Lukashenko wanted to rebuild Belarus when he took office; the economy was in freefall, due to declining industry and lack of demand for Belarusian goods . Lukashenko kept many industries under the control of the government . In 2001, he stated his intention to improve the social welfare of his citizens and to make Belarus "powerful and prosperous ." </P> <P> The economy of Belarus has been in a state of flux since Lukashenko's election in 1994 . His economic policies aimed to prevent issues that occurred in other former Soviet states, such as the establishment of oligarchic structures and mass unemployment . The unemployment rate for the country at the end of 2011 was at 0.6% of the population (of 6.86 million eligible workers), a decrease from 1995, when unemployment was 2.9% with a working - eligible population of 5.24 million . The per - capita Gross national income rose from US $1,423 in 1993 to US $5,830 at the end of 2011 . One major economic issue Lukashenko faced throughout his presidency was the value of the Belarusian ruble . For a time it was pegged to major foreign currencies, such as the euro, US dollar and the Russian ruble in order to maintain the stability of the Belarusian ruble . Yet, the currency has experienced free fall and also several rounds of devaluation . A major devaluation took place in 2011 after the government announced that average salaries would increase to US $500 . The 2011 devaluation was the largest on record for the past twenty years according to the World Bank . Belarus also had to seek a bailout from international sources, and while it has received loans from China, receiving loans from the IMF and other agencies depend on how Belarus reforms its economy according to standards set by the IMF and other agencies . </P>

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