Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov will be replaced by former development bank head Sergei Rumas, the president’s press office said in a statement. Over the summer a corruption scandal rocked the health service of the ex-Soviet nation. Other smaller instances of corruption and administrative failures have hit local and national governments in recent months. Political analyst Valeriy Karbalevich said: “Lukashenko has discovered the government wasn’t afraid of him, it clearly wasn’t carrying out his orders”. Lukashenko has ruled Belarus, wedged between Russia and Poland, with an iron fist since 1994.

Source: The Guardian August 18, 2018 13:41 UTC