Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (also transliterated as Alyaksandr Ryhoravich Lukashenka; born 30 August 1954) is a Belarusian politician who has been President of Belarus since the office's establishment on 20 July 1994, making him the longest-serving European president.

Before embarking on his political career, Lukashenko worked as the director of a state farm (sovkhoz) and served in both the Soviet Border Troops and the Soviet Army. In 1990, Lukashenko was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he assumed the position of head of the interim anti-corruption committee of the Supreme Council of Belarus. In 1994, he won the presidency in the country's inaugural presidential election after the adoption of a new constitution.

Lukashenko maintained state ownership of key industries in Belarus and retained Soviet-era symbolism, including the coat of arms and national flag, which were derived from those of the Byelorussian SSR. These symbols were adopted after a controversial 1995 referendum. Subsequent to the same referendum, Lukashenko acquired increased power, including the authority to dismiss the Supreme Council. Another referendum in 1996 further facilitated his consolidation of power. The Russian language was also given official status, and economic ties with Russia were strengthened. This led to the formation of the Union State with Russia, enabling Belarusians and Russians to travel, work, and study freely between the two countries. Nevertheless, relations with Russia have occasionally been strained during his tenure, as evident in events such as the Milk War.

Lukashenko presides over an authoritarian government and has been labeled by the media as "Europe's last dictator". International monitors do not regard Belarusian elections as free and fair. The government suppresses opponents and limits media freedom. This has resulted in multiple Western governments imposing sanctions on Lukashenko and other Belarusian officials. Lukashenko's contested victory in the 2020 presidential election preceded allegations of vote-rigging, amplifying anti-government protests, the largest seen during his rule. Consequently, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States do not recognise Lukashenko as the legitimate president of Belarus following the disputed election.

Early life, family and education
Lukashenko was born on 30 August 1954 in a Ukrainian family in the settlement of Kopys in Vitebsk Region of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. Starting with an interview given in 2009, Lukashenko has said that his actual birthday is 31 August, the same as his son's Nikolai's. This caused some confusion as all official sources had said 30 August 1954 up until then. An explanation was later given that his mother had entered the hospital on the 30th in labour but not given birth until after midnight.

His maternal grandfather, Trokhym Ivanovich Lukashenko, was born near Shostka in the then Russian Empire, in the village known today as Sobycheve. Lukashenko grew up without a father in his childhood, leading him to be taunted by his schoolmates for having an unmarried mother. Due to this, the origin of his patronymic Grigorevich is unknown and there are varying rumours about the identity of Lukashenko's father. The most common suggestion is that the man was a Roma passing through the region. His mother, Ekaterina Trofimovna Lukashenko (1924–2015), gave birth to another son, older than Alexander, who later died on an unknown date. Ekaterina worked unskilled jobs on a railway, at a construction site, at a flax factory in Orsha and finally as a milkmaid in Alexandria, a small village in the east of Belarus, close to the Russian border.

Lukashenko went to Alexandria secondary school. He graduated from the Mogilev Pedagogical Institute (now Mogilev State A. Kuleshov University) in Mogilev in 1975 after 4 years of studies. He also completed studies at the Belarusian Agricultural Academy in Horki in 1985.

Military and early politics career

He served in the Soviet Border Troops from 1975 to 1977, where he was an instructor of the political department of military unit No. 2187 of the Western Frontier District in Brest and in the Soviet Army from 1980 to 1982. In addition, he led an All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (Komsomol) chapter in Mogilev from 1977 to 1978. While in the Soviet Army, Lukashenko was a deputy political officer of the 120th Guards Motor Rifle Division, which was based in Minsk.

In 1979, he joined the ranks of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Communist Party of Byelorussia. After leaving the military, he became the deputy chairman of a collective farm in 1982 and in 1985, he was promoted to the post of director of the Gorodets state farm and construction materials plant in the Shklow district. In 1987, he was appointed as the director of the Gorodets state farm in Shklow district and in early 1988, was one of the first in Mogilev Region to introduce a leasing contract to a state farm.

In 1990, Lukashenko was elected Deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR. Having acquired a reputation as an eloquent opponent of corruption, Lukashenko was elected in April 1993 to serve as the interim chairman of the anti-corruption committee of the Belarusian parliament. In late 1993 he accused 70 senior government officials, including the Supreme Soviet chairman Stanislav Shushkevich and prime minister Vyacheslav Kebich, of corruption including stealing state funds for personal purposes. While the charges ultimately proved to be without merit, Shushkevich resigned his chairmanship due to the embarrassment of this series of events and losing a vote of no-confidence. He served in that position until July 1994.

Presidency

First term (1994–2001)

A new Belarusian constitution enacted in early 1994 paved the way for the first democratic presidential election on 23 June and 10 July. Six candidates stood in the first round, including Lukashenko, who campaigned as an independent on a populist platform. In an interview with The New York Times, he declared: "I am neither with the leftists nor the rightists. But with the people against those who rob and deceive them". Stanislav Shushkevich and Vyacheslav Kebich also ran, with the latter regarded as the clear favorite. Lukashenko won 45.1% of the vote while Kebich received 17.4%, Zianon Pazniak received 12.9% and Shushkevich, along with two other candidates, received less than 10% of votes.

Lukashenko won the second round of the election on 10 July with 80.1% of the vote. The presidential inauguration was held in the halls of the Government House, on 20 July 1994, exactly ten days after the election, during a special meeting of the parliament, the Supreme Council. Shortly after his inauguration, he addressed the State Duma of the Russian Federation in Moscow proposing a new Union of Slavic states, which would culminate in the creation of the Union of Russia and Belarus in 1999.

In February 1995, Lukashenko announced his intention to hold a referendum. For the young democratic republic this raised the controversial issue of the Russification of Belarus. Lukashenko said he would press ahead with the referendum regardless of opposition in the Supreme Council and threatened to suspend its activities if it did not agree to hold the referendum. On 11 April 1995, a vote was held in parliament on calling a referendum on four issues proposed by Lukashenko: 1) granting Russian the status of a state language, 2) changing state symbols, 3) on economic integration with Russia and 4) on giving the president the right to dissolve parliament. The deputies rejected all the issues, except for that which regarded economic integration with Russia. It is unclear whether the president had legal power independently to call referendums, and if so, if they would be binding. Lukashenko stated that the referendum would be held despite the rejection by the deputies.

In protest, 19 out of a total of 238 deputies of the Belarusian Popular Front led by Zianon Pazniak and the Belarusian Social Democratic Assembly led by Oleg Trusov (b. Алег Анатолевіч Трусаў) began a hunger strike in the parliamentary meeting room and stayed there overnight on the night of 11–12 April. At night, under the pretext of a bomb threat, unidentified law enforcement personnel attacked and forcibly expelled the deputies. Lukashenko stated that he personally ordered the evacuation for security purposes. The Supreme Council accepted to hold the referendum on 13 April and in May 1995, Belarusian authorities held a referendum on the four issues. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly found neither the referendum nor the 1995 Belarusian parliamentary election which took place in the same month to have met conditions for free and fair elections.

In the summer of 1996, deputies of the 199-member Belarusian parliament signed a petition to impeach Lukashenko on charges of violating the Constitution. Shortly after that, a referendum was held on 24 November 1996 in which four questions were offered by Lukashenko and three offered by a group of Parliament members. The questions ranged from social issues, including changing the independence day to 3 July (the date of the liberation of Minsk from Nazi forces in 1944) and the abolition of the death penalty, to the national constitution. As a result of the referendum, the constitution that was amended by Lukashenko was accepted and the one amended by the Supreme Council was voided. On 25 November, it was announced that 70.5% of voters, of an 84% turnout, had approved the amended constitution. The US and the EU, however, refused to accept the legitimacy of the referendum.

After the referendum, Lukashenko convened a new parliamentary assembly from those members of the parliament who were loyal to him. After between ten and twelve deputies withdrew their signature from the impeachment petition, only about forty deputies of the old parliament were left and the Supreme Council was dismissed by Lukashenko. Nevertheless, international organizations and many Western countries do not recognize the current parliament given the way it was formed. Lukashenko was elected chairman of the Belarusian Olympic Committee in 1997. At the start of 1998, the Central Bank of Russia suspended trading in the Belarusian ruble, which led to a collapse in the value of the currency. Lukashenko responded by taking control of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus, sacking the entire bank leadership and blaming the West for the free fall of the currency.

Lukashenko blamed foreign governments for conspiring against him and, in April 1998, expelled ambassadors from the Drazdy complex near Minsk and moved them to another building. The Drazdy conflict caused an international outcry and resulted in a travel ban on Lukashenko from the EU and the US. Although the ambassadors eventually returned after the controversy died down, Lukashenko stepped up his rhetorical attacks against the West. He stated that Western governments were trying to undermine Belarus at all levels, even sports, during the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Upon the outbreak of the Kosovo War in 1999, Lukashenko suggested to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević that Yugoslavia join the Union of Russia and Belarus.

Second term (2001–2006)

Under the original constitution, Lukashenko should have been up for reelection in 1999. However, the 1996 referendum extended Lukashenko's term for two additional years. In the 9 September 2001 election, Lukashenko faced Vladimir Goncharik and Sergei Gaidukevich. During the campaign, Lukashenko promised to raise the standards of farming, social benefits and increase industrial output of Belarus. Lukashenko won in the first round with 75.65% of the vote. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said the process "failed to meet international standards".

Jane's Intelligence Digest surmised that the price of Russian support for Lukashenko ahead of the 2001 presidential election was the surrender of Minsk's control over its section of the Yamal–Europe gas pipeline. After the results were announced declaring Lukashenko the winner, Russia publicly welcomed Lukashenko's re-election; the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, telephoned Lukashenko and offered a message of congratulations and support.

Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, American intelligence agencies reported that aides of Saddam Hussein managed to acquire Belarusian passports while in Syria, but that it was unlikely that Belarus would offer a safe haven for Saddam and his two sons. This action, along with arms deals with Iraq and Iran, prompted Western governments to take a tougher stance against Lukashenko. The US was particularly angered by the arms sales, and American political leaders increasingly began to refer to Belarus as "Europe's last dictatorship". The EU was concerned for the security of its gas supplies from Russia, which are piped through Belarus, and took an active interest in Belarusian affairs. With the accession of Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, the EU's border with Belarus has grown to more than 1000 kilometers.

During a televised address to the nation on 7 September 2004, Lukashenko announced plans for a referendum to eliminate presidential term limits. This was held on 17 October 2004, the same day as parliamentary elections, and, according to official results, was approved by 79.42% of voters. Previously, Lukashenko had been limited to two terms and thus would have been constitutionally required to step down after the presidential elections in 2006. Opposition groups, the OSCE, the European Union, and the US State Department stated that the vote fell short of international standards.  Belarus grew economically under Lukashenko, but much of this growth was due to Russian crude oil which was imported at below-market prices, refined, and sold to other European countries at a profit.

Third term (2006–2010)

After Lukashenko confirmed he was running for re-election in 2005, opposition groups began to seek a single candidate. On 16 October 2005, on the Day of Solidarity with Belarus, the political groups Zubr and Third Way Belarus encouraged all opposition parties to rally behind one candidate to oppose Lukashenko in the 2006 election. Their chosen candidate was Alexander Milinkevich. Lukashenko reacted by saying that anyone going to opposition protests would have their necks wrung "as one might a duck". On 19 March 2006, exit polls showed Lukashenko winning a third term in a landslide, amid opposition reports of vote-rigging and fear of violence. The Belarusian Republican Youth Union gave Lukashenko 84.2% and Milinkevich 3.1%. The Gallup Organisation noted that the Belarusian Republican Youth Union are government-controlled and released the exit poll results before noon on election day even though voting stations did not close until 8 pm.

Belarusian authorities vowed to prevent any large-scale demonstrations following the election (such as those that marked the Orange Revolution in Ukraine). Despite their efforts, the opposition had the largest number of demonstrators in years, with nightly protests in Minsk continuing for a number of days after the election. The largest protest occurred on election night; reporters for the Associated Press estimated that approximately 10,000 people turned out. Election observers from the Russia-led Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) differed on the Belarusian election.

The OSCE declared on 20 March 2006 that the "presidential election failed to meet OSCE commitments for democratic elections." Lukashenko "permitted State authority to be used in a manner which did not allow citizens to freely and fairly express their will at the ballot box... a pattern of intimidation and the suppression of independent voices... was evident throughout the campaign." The heads of all 25 EU countries declared that the election was "fundamentally flawed". In contrast, the Russian minister of foreign affairs declared, "Long before the elections, the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights had declared that they [the elections] would be illegitimate and it was pretty biased in its commentaries on their progress and results, thus playing an instigating role." Lukashenko later stated that he had rigged the election results, but against himself, in order to obtain a majority more typical of European countries. Although he had won 93.5% of the vote, he said, he had directed the government to announce a result of 86%.

Some Russian nationalists, such as Dmitry Rogozin and the Movement Against Illegal Immigration, stated that they would like to see Lukashenko become President of Russia in 2008. Lukashenko responded that he would not run for the Russian presidency, but that if his health was still good, he might run for reelection in 2011.

In September 2008, parliamentary elections were held. Lukashenko had allowed some opposition candidates to stand, though in the official results, opposition members failed to get any of the 110 available seats. OSCE observers described the vote as "flawed", including "several cases of deliberate falsification of results". Opposition members and supporters demonstrated in protest. According to the Nizhny Novgorod-based CIS election observation mission, the findings of which are often dismissed by the West, the elections in Belarus conformed to international standards. Lukashenko later commented that the opposition in Belarus was financed by foreign countries and was not needed.

In April 2009, he held talks with Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican, Lukashenko's first visit to Western Europe after a travel ban on him a decade earlier.

Fourth term (2010–2015)

Lukashenko was one of ten candidates registered for the presidential election held in Belarus on 19 December 2010. Though originally envisaged for 2011, an earlier date was approved "to ensure the maximum participation of citizens in the electoral campaign and to set most convenient time for the voters". The run-up to the campaign was marked by a series of Russian media attacks on Lukashenko. The Central Election Committee said that all nine opposition figures were likely to get less than half the vote total that Lukashenko would get. Though opposition figures alleged intimidation and that "dirty tricks" were being played, the election was seen as comparatively open as a result of desire to improve relations with both Europe and the US.

On election day, two presidential candidates were seriously beaten by police in different opposition rallies. On the night of the election, opposition protesters chanting "Out!", "Long live Belarus!" and other similar slogans attempted to storm the building of the government of Belarus, smashing windows and doors before riot police were able to push them back. The number of protesters was reported by major news media as being around or above 10,000 people. At least seven of the opposition presidential candidates were arrested.

Several of the opposition candidates, along with their supporters and members of the media, were arrested. Many were sent to prison, often on charges of organizing a mass disturbance. Examples include Andrei Sannikov, Alexander Otroschenkov, Ales Michalevic, Mikola Statkevich, and Uladzimir Nyaklyayew. Sannikov's wife, journalist Irina Khalip, was put under house arrest. Yaraslau Ramanchuk's party leader, Anatoly Lebedko, was also arrested.

The CEC said that Lukashenko won 79.65% of the vote (he gained 5,130,557 votes) with 90.65% of the electorate voting. The OSCE categorized the elections as "flawed" while the CIS mission observers approved the results as legitimate. However, the OSCE also stated that some improvements were made in the run-up to the election, including the candidates' use of television debates and ability to deliver their messages unhindered. Several European foreign ministers issued a joint statement calling the election and its aftermath an "unfortunate step backwards in the development of democratic governance and respect for human rights in Belarus."

Lukashenko's inauguration ceremony of 22 January 2011 was boycotted by EU ambassadors, and only thirty-two foreign diplomats attended. During this ceremony, Lukashenko defended the legitimacy of his re-election and vowed that Belarus would never have its own version of the 2004 Orange Revolution in Ukraine or Georgia's 2003 Rose Revolution.

Effective 31 January 2011, the EU renewed a travel ban, prohibiting Lukashenko and 156 of his associates from traveling to EU member countries, as a result of the crackdown on opposition supporters.

Lukashenko was supportive of China's Belt and Road Initiative global infrastructure development strategy, and the inception in 2012 of the associated low-tax China–Belarus Industrial Park near Minsk National Airport planned to grow to  by the 2060s.

Fifth term (2015–2020)

On 11 October 2015, Lukashenko was elected for his fifth term as the president of Belarus. Just over three weeks later, he was inaugurated in the Independence Palace in the presence of attendees such as former president of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma, Chairman of the Russian Communist Party Gennady Zyuganov and Belarusian biathlete Darya Domracheva. On mid-September 2017, Lukashenko oversaw the advancement of joint Russian and Belarusian military relations during the military drills that were part of the Zapad 2017 exercise.

In August 2018, Lukashenko fired his prime minister Andrei Kobyakov and various other officials due to a corruption scandal. Sergei Rumas was appointed to take his place as prime minister. In May 2017, Lukashenko signed a decree on the Foundation of the Directorate of the 2019 European Games in Minsk.
In April 2019, Lukashenko announced that the games were on budget and on time and eventually he opened the 2nd edition of the event on 21 June. Between 1–3 July 2019, he oversaw the country's celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the Minsk Offensive, which culminated in an evening military parade of the Armed Forces of Belarus on the last day, which is the country's Independence Day.In August 2019, Lukashenko met with former Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who has lived in exile in Minsk since 2010, in the Palace of Independence to mark Bakiyev's 70th birthday, which he had marked several days earlier. The meeting, which included the presentation of traditional flowers and symbolic gifts, angered the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry which stated that the meeting "fundamentally does not meet the principles of friendship and cooperation between the two countries". In November 2019, Lukashenko visited the Austrian capital of Vienna on a state visit, which was his first in three years to an EU country. During the visit, he met with President Alexander Van der Bellen, Chancellor Brigitte Bierlein, and National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka. He also paid his respects at the Soviet War Memorial at the Schwarzenbergplatz.

During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, he undertook two working visits to Russia, one of the few European leaders to undertake foreign visits during the pandemic. He also received Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán during his state visit to Minsk. Orbán called for an end to EU sanctions on Belarus during this visit. His first visit to Russia was to attend the rescheduled Moscow Victory Day Parade on Red Square together with his son.

Sixth term (2020–present)

On 9 August 2020, according to the preliminary count, Lukashenko was re-elected for his sixth term as the President of Belarus. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that the election was "not free [or] fair".

Mass protests erupted across Belarus following the 2020 Belarusian presidential election which was marred by allegations of widespread electoral fraud. Subsequently, opposition presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya claimed she had received between 60 and 70% of the vote and formed a Coordination council to facilitate the peaceful and orderly transfer of power in Belarus.

On 15 August 2020, Lithuanian foreign minister Linas Linkevičius referred to Lukashenko as the "former president" of Belarus. It was reported that President Lukashenko's authorities asked Kremlin representatives about the possibility of Lukashenko escaping to Russia. Furthermore, it was reported that Russia admits that Lukashenko's resignation from the post of head of state is likely.

On 17 August 2020, the members of the European Parliament issued a joint statement which stated that they do not recognise Alexander Lukashenko as the president of Belarus, considering him to be persona non grata in the European Union. On 19 August, the member states of the European Union agreed to not recognise the results and issued a statement saying "The 9 August elections were neither free nor fair, therefore we do not recognise the results". The governments of the United States, United Kingdom and Canada have also refused to recognise the results. In an interview on 22 August, Josep Borrell explicitly stated that the European Union does not recognise Lukashenko as the legitimate president of Belarus in the same manner that it does not recognise Nicolás Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela.

On 23 August 2020, footage emerged showing Lukashenko at the Independence Palace in Minsk. In the first two videos, he is seen walking near a helicopter, wearing a bullet proof vest and holding an assault rifle (possibly an AK-47) and then walking around the palace grounds. In the latter footage, Lukashenko was heard to say "Leave me alone," and "There is no one left there, right?". His 15-year-old son, Nikolai, was seen with him dressed in military uniform and holding a gun.

In a third video, he is seen surveying protestors from a helicopter and is heard saying "How the rats ran away" in an apparent reference to the protesters. In a fourth video, Lukashenko was seen removing the former flag of Belarus from a flower bed, waving at security personnel and in reference to protesters, saying "we will deal with them". On 30 August, the Independence Palace became again a scene of protests. When questioned about the whereabouts of Alexander Lukashenko on this day, his publicity team released an undated photograph of him walking around the grounds of the Independence Palace holding a gun.

On 23 September 2020, Lukashenko was formally inaugurated president for a sixth term in a ceremony at the Palace of Independence attended by an invited group of 700 guests.

On 27 November 2020, Lukashenko announced that he would resign once Belarus' new constitution was adopted.

In December, the executive board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to exclude until further notice all members of the Belarusian Olympic Committee from all IOC events, specifically targeting Lukashenko who was elected as its chairman in 1997.

On 17 April 2021, Russia's FSB security service exposed an alleged military coup and assassination attempt of Lukashenko. Russia also stated that it prevented Lukashenko's murder. Two suspects, who were detained at Lukashenko's request, were  and . Both are critics of Lukashenko, with the latter being a dual American-Belarusian citizen, despite Belarus not recognizing dual citizenship.

On 24 April 2021, Lukashenko announced that he would sign a decree to amend emergency transfer of power. "I will sign a decree about how the power in Belarus will be set up. If the President is shot the security council will get the power." Lukashenko is the head of the Security Council himself; however, his eldest son, Victor Lukashenko, is regarded as its informal leader. Under current law, the prime minister assumes the presidential powers if the presidency becomes vacant, but Lukashenko said that the prime minister will only become the nominal leader and all decisions would be taken by the 20-person security council, by secret ballot.

The president is yet to sign the decree and it would also be unconstitutional as Article 89 states how emergency transition of power is set up. This move was seen to empower his son, to be in the perfect position to succeed him in the next elections, to also prevent the opposition gaining power and as insurance against a "bad" prime minister. It is to note that all Security Council members are Lukashenko's most loyal allies.

On 5 May 2021, Belarusians in Germany filed a legal complaint against Lukashenko for 'state torture' and 'crimes against humanity.' If he enters Germany he risks trial or if convicted and enters Germany faces punishment given by court. Lukashenko responded that Germany was not in a position to criticize him, referring to the German Government as the "Heirs of Fascism". At the same time, he said that he will not resign, a reversal from his statement in November, but said he will call early presidential elections if and only if the United States does so as well.

On 9 May 2021, Lukashenko signed a presidential decree titled "On the Protection of sovereignty and constitutional order". The contingency decree states that in the event that the President is unable to perform his duties, martial law will be immediately imposed and presidential power will be transferred to the Security Council, which is widely believed to be made up of strong allies of Lukashenko. It also states that it is the responsibility of the Security Council to organise new presidential elections. Despite clearly contradicting Article 89 of the constitution, Belarusian authorities praised the decree and declared it fully complies with legislation and is constitutional.

On 24 June 2023, Lukashenko said he had negotiated with Yevgeny Prigozhin with the agreement of Vladimir Putin in ending the Wagner Group rebellion. Lukashenko told Wagner that he would be squashed like bugs if he tried to enter Belarus and warned that Putin would never agree to remove top generals, including Defense minister Sergei Shoigu. He promised to accommodate Wagner's troops in Belarus.He claimed that Putin desired to destroy the Wagner Group after the mutiny and he prevented Putin from materializing the obliteration of the group. Lukashenko's rule in the crisis raised his clout internationally.

Domestic policy

The political system of Lukashenko has become colloquially known as  "Lukashism" or "Lukashenkoism". John Sweeney summarised Lukashism as "a mutant version of the Soviet Union's deal with its people: they pretend to pay us, and we pretend to work; we pretend to vote for him; he pretends that the vote is fair".

Lukashenko promotes himself as a "man of the people." 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."

With the ascent to power of Lukashenko in 1994, the Russification policy of Russian Imperial and Soviet era was renewed.

Since the November 1996 referendum, Lukashenko has effectively held all governing power in the nation. Under the Constitution, if the House of Representatives rejects his choice for prime minister twice, he has the right to dissolve it. His decrees have greater weight than ordinary legislation. He also has near-absolute control over government spending; parliament can only increase or decrease spending with his permission. However, the legislature is dominated by his supporters in any event, and there is no substantive opposition to presidential decisions. Indeed, every seat in the lower house has been held by pro-Lukashenko MPs for all but one term since 2004. He also appoints eight members of the upper house, the Council of the Republic, as well as nearly all judges.

Economy

Lukashenko's early economic policies aimed to prevent issues that occurred in other post-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 several periods 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, although it has received loans from China, loans from the IMF and other agencies depend on how Belarus reforms its economy.

Some critics of Lukashenko, including the opposition group Zubr, use the term Lukashism to refer to the political and economic system Lukashenko has implemented in Belarus. The term is also used more broadly to refer to an authoritarian ideology based on a cult of his personality and nostalgia for Soviet times among certain groups in Belarus.  The US Congress sought to aid the opposition groups by passing the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 to introduce sanctions against Lukashenko's government and provide financial and other support to the opposition.

Lukashenko supporters argue that his rule spared Belarus the turmoil that beset many other former Soviet countries. Lukashenko commented on the criticism of him by saying: "I've been hearing these accusations for over 10 years and we have got used to it. We are not going to answer them. I want to come from the premise that the elections in Belarus are held for ourselves. I am sure that it is the Belarusian people who are the masters in our state."

COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lukashenko stated that concerns about the pandemic were a "frenzy and a psychosis" and that working the tractors, drinking vodka and going to saunas could prevent people from infection from the virus. "People are working in tractors. No one is talking about the virus", Lukashenko said on 16 March 2020. "There, the tractor will heal everyone. The fields heal everyone". He also said: "I don't drink, but recently I've been saying that people should not only wash their hands with vodka, but also poison the virus with it. You should drink the equivalent of 40–50 milliliters of rectified spirit daily", but he advised against doing so while at work. Lukashenko described these comments as a joke. By early May, Belarus was reported to have 15,000 diagnosed cases, one of the highest per capita rates of infection in Eastern Europe.

On July 28, 2020, Lukashenko announced he had asymptomatic COVID-19. Neither the Presidential Administration nor the country's health service have commented on this statement.

On August 12, 2021, Lukashenko stated that he is strongly opposed to making vaccination mandatory. "There will be no mandatory vaccination in Belarus. I am strongly against it. Vaccination will remain voluntary. If a person wants to be vaccinated it is good, if not, let it be".

Political repression

Torture, sexual abuse and other forms of repression

On September 1, 2020, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) declared that its experts received reports of 450 documented cases of torture and ill-treatment of people who were arrested during the protests following the presidential election. The experts also received reports of violence against women and children, including sexual abuse and rape with rubber batons. According to the OHCHR, both male and female detainees were subjected to rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence. Medical records reviewed by OHCHR indicate lesions and other injuries to the male genitalia associated with forcible twisting and rape. Psychological violence, including threats of rape, was also used against detainees.

At least three detainees suffered injuries indicative of sexual violence in Okrestino prison in Minsk or on the way there. The victims were hospitalized with intramuscular bleeding of the rectum, anal fissure and bleeding, and damage to the mucous membrane of the rectum.

In an interview from September 2020 Lukashenko claimed that detainees faked their bruises, saying, "Some of the girls there had their butts painted in blue". In November 2021, however, Lukashenko confirmed in an interview to the British Broadcasting Corporation that people were beaten in Okrestino, saying: "OK, OK, I admit it, I admit it. People were beaten in the Okrestina Detention Centre. But there were police beaten up too and you didn't show this."

In January 2021, an audio recording was released in which the commander of internal troops and deputy interior minister of Belarus Mikalai Karpiankou tells security forces that they can cripple, maim and kill protesters in order to make them understand their actions. This, he says, is justified because anyone who takes to the streets is participating in a kind of guerrilla warfare. In addition, he discussed the establishment of camps, surrounded by barbed wire, where protesters will be detained until the situation calms down. A spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry stamped the audio file as a fake.

However, a phonoscopic examination of the audio recording confirmed that the voice on the recording belongs to Karpiankou. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe expressed its concern about the remarks. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, such a camp was indeed used near the town of Slutsk in the days from 13 to 15 August 2020. Many of those detained there are said to have been brought from the Okrestina prison in Minsk.

Forced disappearances

In 1999 opposition leaders Yury Zacharanka and Viktar Hanchar together with his business associate Anatol Krasouski disappeared. Hanchar and Krasouski disappeared the same day of a broadcast on state television in which President Alexander Lukashenko ordered the chiefs of his security services to crack down on "opposition scum." Although the State Security Committee of the Republic of Belarus (KGB) had them under constant surveillance, the official investigation announced that the case could not be solved. The investigation of the disappearance of journalist Dzmitry Zavadski in 2000 has also yielded no results. Copies of a report by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which linked senior Belarusian officials to the cases of disappearances, were confiscated.

In September 2004, the European Union and the United States issued travel bans for five Belarusian officials suspected in being involved in the kidnapping of Zacharanka: Interior Affairs Minister Vladimir Naumov, Prosecutor General Viktor Sheiman, Minister for Sports and Tourism Yuri Sivakov, and Colonel Dmitri Pavlichenko from the Belarus Interior Ministry.

In December 2019, Deutsche Welle published a documentary film in which Yury Garavski, a former member of a special unit of the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs, confirmed that it was his unit which had arrested, taken away and murdered Zecharanka and that they later did the same with Viktar Hanchar and Anatol Krassouski.

Assassination plans on dissidents abroad
On January 4, 2021, the EU Observer reported that new evidence, including documents and audio recordings, provide that Belarusian secret services planned to murder dissidents abroad. An audio file, allegedly being a recording from a bugged meeting in 2012, reveals Vadim Zaitsev, the KGB chairman at the time, discussing the murder plot with two officers from the KGB's Alpha Group, an elite counter-terrorism unit. Translated from Russian, one of the voices in the recording says, "We should be working with Sheremet, who is a massive pain in the arse [inaudible]. We'll plant [a bomb] and so on and this fucking rat will be taken down in fucking pieces, legs in one direction, arms in the other direction. If everything [looks like] natural causes, it won't get into people's minds the same way." In addition to planting a bomb, they also discuss poisoning Sheremet.

Allegations of state-sponsored hijacking
On 23 May 2021, Lukashenko personally ordered Ryanair Flight 4978 en route from Athens to Vilnius, carrying the opposition journalist Roman Protasevich, to land in Belarus. The flight was forced to land at Minsk International Airport shortly before it reached the Lithuanian border after Belarusian air traffic control conveyed a report of explosives on board the plane. The flight was escorted by a Belarusian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jet. Belarusian authorities said no explosives were found and arrested Protasevich, who was placed in a list of "individuals involved in terrorist activity" the previous year for his role in the anti-government protests and incitement to Public disorder. The move was condemned by opposition figures, with Tsikhanouskaya saying that Protasevich "faces the death penalty" in Belarus.

Foreign policy

Russia

In the 1990s, Lukashenko and the then-Russian president Boris Yeltsin envisaged the formation of a Union State. Yeltsin suffered from poor health and alcoholism, which induced Lukashenko into thinking that he would lead both states. But After Yeltsin anointed Putin as his successor, Lukashenko stalled the merger.

Lukashenko's relationship with Russia, once his powerful ally and vocal supporter, has significantly deteriorated. The run-up to the 2010 Belarusian presidential election was marked by a series of Russian media attacks on Lukashenko. Throughout July state-controlled channel NTV broadcast a multi-part documentary entitled "The Godfather" highlighting the suspicious disappearance of the opposition leaders Yury Zacharanka and Viktar Hanchar, businessman Anatol Krasouski and journalist Dzmitry Zavadski during the late 1990s. Lukashenko called the media attack "dirty propaganda".

Despite a historically good relationship with Russia, tensions between Lukashenko and the Russian government started showing in 2020. On 24 January 2020, Lukashenko publicly accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of trying to make Belarus a part of Russia. This led to Russia cutting economic subsidies for Belarus. In July 2020, the relationship between Belarus and Russia was described as "strained" after 33 Russian military contractors were arrested in Minsk.

Lukashenko afterwards accused Russia of collaborating with opposition activist Siarhei Tsikhanouski and trying to cover up an attempt to send 200 fighters from a private Russian military firm known as the Wagner Group into Belarus on a mission to destabilize the country ahead of its 9 August presidential election. On 5 August 2020, Russia's security chief Dmitry Medvedev warned Belarus to release the contractors. Lukashenko also claimed Russia was lying about its attempts to use the Wagner Group to influence the upcoming election.

On 11 November 2021, Lukashenko raised the possibility of interrupting the Yamal–Europe pipeline carrying Russian gas to the European Union if the bloc imposes further sanctions on Belarus. Russian president Vladimir Putin said that Lukashenko had not consulted him before raising the possibility of stopping gas deliveries coming from Russia to the EU via a pipeline through Belarus, adding that such a move would risk harming ties between Belarus and Russia.

In February 2022, Lukashenko permitted Russian forces to stage part of the invasion of Ukraine from Belarusian territory. Commenting on the war in Ukraine the President of Belarus has said that he didn't expect the conflict "drag on this way."

European Union

Lukashenko's relationship with the EU has been strained, in part by choice and in part by his policies towards domestic opponents. Lukashenko's repression of opponents caused him to be called "Europe's last dictator" and resulted in the EU imposing visa sanctions on him and a range of Belarusian officials. At times, the EU has lifted sanctions as a way to encourage dialogue or gain concessions from Lukashenko. Since the EU adopted this policy of "change through engagement", it has supported economic and political reforms to help integrate the Belarusian state.

United States

In March 2003, Lukashenko said that Belarus unanimously condemned the US-led Iraq War.

On 29 August 2019, John Bolton, the National Security Advisor of the United States, was received by Lukashenko during his visit to Minsk, which was the first of its kind in 18 years.

China

Under Lukashenko, China and Belarus have maintained close ties, with him advocating an approach of "understanding China, learning from China, and approaching China." In 2012, the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Wu Bangguo noted that Belarus has been rapidly developing under Lukashenko.
On 1 March 2023, Lukashenko met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, which produced a range of cooperation documents on industry, trade, agricultural, and other matters.

Middle East
Following the 2014 Syrian presidential election, President Lukashenko congratulated President Bashar al-Assad. His cable "expressed keenness to strengthen and develop bilateral relations between Belarus and Syria in all fields for the benefit of the two peoples."

Belarus condemned the NATO-led military intervention in Libya, and the foreign ministry stated that "The missile strikes and bombings on the territory of Libya go beyond Resolution 1973 of the UN Security Council and are in breach of its principal goal, ensuring safety of the civilian population. The Republic of Belarus calls on the states involved with the military operation to cease, with immediate effect, the military operations which lead to human casualties. The settlement of the conflict is an internal affair of Libya and should be carried out by the Libyan people alone without military intervention from outside." They have not recognized the National Transitional Council.

Upon hearing the news regarding the death of Muammar Gaddafi, President Alexander Lukashenko said "Aggression has been committed, and the country's leadership, not only Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed. And how was it killed? Well, if they had shot him in a battle, it's one thing, but they humiliated and tormented him, they shot at him, they violated him when he was wounded, they twisted his neck and arms, and then they tortured him to death. It's worse than the Nazis once did." He also condemned the current situation of Libya and was critical regarding the future of the country.

Others
His policies have been praised by some other world leaders. In response to a question about Belarus's domestic policies, President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela said "We see here a model social state like the one we are beginning to create." In 2015, Lukashenko sought to improve trade relations between Belarus and Latin America.

In March 2022, Australia sanctioned Lukashenko for giving "strategic support to Russia and its military forces" in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Also in 2022, he was blacklisted by New Zealand and Japan on the same grounds.

Public life

Controversial statements
Lukashenko has made several controversial statements during his presidency which have been regarded as antisemitic, homophobic and misogynistic.

In 1995, Lukashenko made a remark in which he named Adolf Hitler as a role model for his presidential system in Belarus: "The history of Germany is a copy of the history of Belarus. Germany was raised from ruins thanks to firm authority and not everything connected with that well-known figure Hitler was bad. German order evolved over the centuries and attained its peak under Hitler. This corresponds with our understanding of a presidential republic and the role of a president in it." Lukashenko refused to take the quote back, but stated that the consequences of Hitler's leadership style in foreign policy had been bad.

In October 2007, Lukashenko was accused of making antisemitic comments; addressing the "miserable state of the city of Babruysk" on a live broadcast on state radio, he stated: "This is a Jewish city, and the Jews are not concerned for the place they live in. They have turned Babruysk into a pigsty. Look at Israel—I was there and saw it myself ... I call on Jews who have money to come back to Babruysk." Members of the US House of Representatives sent a letter to the Belarusian ambassador to the US, Mikhail Khvostov, addressing Lukashenko's comments with a strong request to retract them, and the comments also caused a negative reaction from Israel.

Consequently, Pavel Yakubovich, editor of Belarus Today, was sent to Israel, and in a meeting with the Israel Foreign Ministry said that Lukashenko's comment was "a mistake that was said jokingly, and does not represent his positions regarding the Jewish people" and that he was "anything but anti-Semitic," and had been "insulted by the mere accusation." The Belarusian Ambassador to Israel, Igor Leshchenya, stated that the president had a "kind attitude toward the Jewish people", and Sergei Rychenko, the press secretary at the Belarusian Embassy in Tel Aviv, said parts of Lukashenko's comments had been mistranslated.

On 4 March 2012, two days after EU leaders (including openly gay German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle) had called for new measures to pressure Lukashenko over alleged human rights abuses in Belarus at a summit in Brussels, Lukashenko provoked diplomatic rebuke from Germany after commenting that it was "better to be a dictator than gay" in response to Westerwelle having referred to him as "Europe's last dictator" during the meeting.

After some of the initial candidates for the 2020 Belarusian presidential election were imprisoned, three women involved with the candidates, led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya emerged as leading opposition against him and contested the results of the election. Lukashenko has spoken dismissively about the role of women in Belarusian society, saying that "society is not mature enough to vote for a woman" and, referring specifically to Tsikanouskaya, that "she just cooked a tasty cutlet, maybe fed the children, and the cutlet smelled nice [...] And now there's supposed to be a debate about some issues" and that the burden of the presidency would cause her to "collapse, poor thing".

In July 2021, Lukashenko was accused of making antisemitic comments during his Independence Day speech to the armed forces; saying "the Jews managed to force the world to remember the Holocaust. The entire world grovels before them and gives in to them. They are afraid to say a single word out of place" and adding "We are tolerant and likeable. We left things alone until it got to the point where others started attacking us and the memory of our efforts." The Israeli government said the comments were "unacceptable" and summoned the chargé d'affaires at the Belarus embassy in Israel.

Public opinion
Independent polling is tightly restricted in Belarus. Surveys are monopolized by the government, which either does not publish its surveys or uses them for propagandistic purposes.

According to a leaked internal poll, a third of the population had trust in Lukashenko. The last credible public poll in Belarus was a 2016 poll showing approximately 30% approval for Lukashensko.

Lukashenko is referred to as "Batska" (, "father") by his supporters.

During the 2020–21 Belarusian protests, opponents of Lukashenko began to refer to him as "Sasha 3%" on the basis that they believed that he was only supported by three percent of the Belarusian population. The term has subsequently become a popular meme within the Belarusian opposition appearing on T-shirts and posters. Lukashenko has also been referred to as "Tarakanishche" ("Cockroach") by his opponents in reference to the poem The Monster Cockroach, in which a moustached cockroach inflicts a reign of terror on the other animals before being eaten by a sparrow.

Accusations of corruption
A film produced by Nexta, a Belarusian media service based in Poland, accuses Lukashenko of misappropriating EU funds on residences and automobiles. The film was uploaded to Telegram and YouTube, where it had over 6 million views. Lukashenko did not comment on the film directly, but on a factory visit in March 2021 claimed that opponents were creating a fake story to destabilize the country. Lukashenko states "I want you to understand: I have been working as president for a quarter of a century, and if there were already some billions, as they say, or palaces, I would have already been torn to pieces from all sides." An EU official, Ana Pisonero, said that accusations of Lukashenko misusing EU funds for buildings and residential properties were "speculation".

Personal life

Marriage and children

Lukashenko married Galina Zhelnerovich, his high school sweetheart, in 1975. Later that year, his oldest son, Viktor, was born. Their second son, Dmitry, was born in 1980. Galina lives separately in a house in the village Shklow. Though they are still legally married, Galina Lukashenko has been estranged from her husband since shortly after he became president. In a 2014 interview, Lukashenko said that they had not lived together for 30 years and the only reason they had not divorced was that he did not want to traumatize his adult sons. Lukashenko has been seen on public occasions with various women; when asked about this in the same 2014 interview he explained that he did not want to sit with an official with a "sour face", preferring "My son on one side, and a girl on the other".

Lukashenko fathered a son, Nikolai, who was born in 2004. Though never confirmed by the government, it is widely believed that Nikolai's mother is Irina Abelskaya—the two had an extramarital affair when she was Lukashenko's personal doctor. There has never been any public statement about who Nikolai's mother is; Nikolai was raised solely by his father. It has been reported by Western observers and media that Nikolai, nicknamed "Kolya", is being groomed as Lukashenko's successor. According to Belarusian state media, these speculations were dismissed by Lukashenko, who also denied that he would remain in office for a further thirty years—the time Nikolai will become eligible to stand for election and succeed him. Lukashenko has a pet dog, a spitz named Umka.

Sports

Lukashenko used to play football, but stopped playing during his presidency. His two elder sons also play ice hockey, sometimes alongside their father. Lukashenko started training in cross-country running as a child, and in the 2000s still competed at the national level. He is a keen skier and ice hockey forward. In an interview he said that he plays ice hockey three times a week. He has established the Belarus President's team, an amateur team which he sometimes plays for. Numerous ice rinks intended to enable competitive ice hockey games to be played, have been built all over Belarus at Lukashenko's behest. Lukashenko was instrumental in getting the 2014 IIHF World Championship in ice hockey to be hosted by Belarus which was considered controversial due to Lukashenko's repressive regime. Belarus was supposed to host the 2021 IIHF World Championship in May 2021, but that was cancelled after international condemnation and threats by sponsors to withdraw.

Religion and beliefs
Lukashenko describes himself as an "Orthodox atheist"
and has said that he believes that the president should be a conservative person and avoid using modern electronic technology such as a tablet or smartphone. He used to play the bayan, a musical instrument similar to an accordion.

Orders and honors

 Medal "In memory of the 850th anniversary of Moscow" (1997)

 Winner of the international premium of Andrey Pervozvanny "For Faith and Loyalty" (1995)
 Medal "Bethlehem-2000" (Palestinian National Authority, 2000)

 The Order of José Martí (Cuba, 2000)
 Order of the Revolution (Libya, 2000)
 Special prize of the International Olympic Committee "Gates of Olympus" (2000)
 Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 2nd Class (Russia, 2001)
 Honorary citizen of Yerevan, Armenia (2001)
 Order of St. Dmitry Donskoy, First Degree (by the Russian Orthodox Church) (2005)
 Medal of the International Federation of Festival Organizations "For development of the world festival movement" (2005)
 Order of St. Cyril (by the Belarusian Orthodox Church) (2006)

 Honorary Diploma of the Eurasian Economic Community (2006)
 Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, 1st Degree (2007)

 Grand Chain of the Order of the Liberator(Venezuela, 2007)

 Order of St. Vladimir, First Degree (by the Russian Orthodox Church) (2007)
 Keys to the City of Caracas, Venezuela (2010)

 Order of Distinguished Citizen (Caracas, Venezuela, 2010)

 Order of Francisco Miranda, First Class (Venezuela, 2010)

 Order of the Republic of Serbia (2013)

 Presidential Order of Excellence (Georgia, 2013)
 Order of St. Sava, 1st Degree (2014)

 Order of Alexander Nevsky (Russia, August 30 2014)
 Order of St. Seraphim of Sarov, 1st Degree (2015) – for merits in protecting the spiritual values of the Belarusian people, maintaining church life and establishing peaceful relations between people of different faiths.

 Badge of the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Belarus "For Merit" (Investigative Committee of the Republic of Belarus, February 11, 2016)

 Order of the Republic (Moldova, October 4, 2016) – as a sign of deep gratitude for the special merits in the development and strengthening of friendship, mutual understanding and cooperation in various areas between the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Moldova and for the great personal contribution to providing significant support to our country in a difficult economic situation.
 Order of Heydar Aliyev (Azerbaijan, November 28, 2016) – for special merits in the development of friendly relations and cooperation between the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

 Order of Nazarbayev (Kazakhstan, 2019)

 Ig Nobel Prize (Peace in 2013, Medical Education in 2020)
 Honorary Doctor of Science, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. He was deprived of his status on June 7, 2021 due to the forced landing of a Ryanair aircraft in Belarus. He became the first honorary doctor of science in the history of the university, who was deprived of this title.

Explanatory notes

References

External links

 President's official site

1954 births
20th-century Belarusian people
21st-century Belarusian people
21st-century Belarusian politicians
Articles containing video clips
Belarus in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Belarusian atheists
Belarusian individuals subject to the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions
Belarusian people of Ukrainian descent
Candidates for President of Belarus
Communist Party of Byelorussia politicians
Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
Eurosceptics
Individuals sanctioned by the United States Department of State
Living people
Alexander
Members of the Supreme Council of Belarus
People from Orsha District
People named in the Panama Papers
People sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act
Presidents of Belarus
Recipients of the Heydar Aliyev Order
Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 2nd class
Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky
Recipients of the Order of Saint Righteous Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy, 1st class
Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st class
Recipients of the Presidential Order of Excellence
Soviet Army officers
Soviet border guards
Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List

Alexander Lukashenko


An operating table, sometimes called operating room table, is the table on which the patient lies during a surgical operation.  This surgical equipment is usually found inside the surgery room of a hospital. A specialized type of operating table is call a surgical fracture table (or trauma table) is designed to allow an orthopedic surgeon to perform common orthopedic procedures such as hip fractures, pelvic fractures, tibial fractures, fibula fractures, and anterior approach total hip arthroplasty. Modern surgical fracture tables cost >US$200,000, but the costs can be reduced to make them more accessible using distributed digital fabrication with 3D printing of open-source hardware designs.

Definition

Two main classifications: system and mobile

An operating table system is basically made up of three components: an operating table column, the table top and the transporter. Modern operating table systems are available as both stationary and mobile units. There are a wide range of table tops that can be used for both general surgery and for specialist disciplines. Mobile operating tables, however, tend to be equipped with a specific discipline in mind. The base, column and table top form a unit.

Since the table column for a stationary operating table system is firmly anchored to the floor, the additional necessary medical devices can easily be brought to the operating area and positioned. These devices include, for example, x-ray equipment, which can easily be slid under the table top.
For personnel, the system offers improved leg space since disruptive foot geometry is no longer present.

Additional elements can be adapted to the operating table. This flexibility is very important since it enables the table to be adapted to suit the relevant patient or the surgical discipline.

The advantage of the mobile operating table, on the other hand, is that the position of the table can be changed within the operating room. However, the foot of the table limits the leg space available to the surgical team.
The individual segments of the table top can be easily removed and replaced. They also permit x-rays and conduct electricity.

Another special feature of the operating table system is the ability to use appropriate interface modules to establish communication with diagnostics systems, for example, angiography, MR and CT. This is only possible with stationary columns since the systems require a fixed point.

Properties and requirements made of an operating table

There are a number of basic functions that every operating table must fulfill in order to meet the requirements made of it. For example, the height of an operating table must be adjustable. This is the only way a surgeon can adapt it to their height and thus work ergonomically. In addition it must be possible to tilt the table to the left and to the right to ensure a better overview into body cavities or to use gravity to move organs (e.g. laparoscopy).
In addition, the individual operating table segments must also be adjustable. This is the only way to ensure the necessary anatomical bends of the body and enable extremities to be positioned suitable for operating. A further property of the operating table top is radiolucency. The radiolucent surface should be as large as possible to ensure the largest possible image without disruption. The padding of the table is also important, this must be both soft and radiolucent. Soft because it must distribute the pressure optimally otherwise the patient may suffer pressure ulcers which staff may be liable for.

Comparison: Operating table system and mobile operating table

The operating table system has a number of advantages. Transport is easier since this unit is generally firmly secured to the floor and thus the foot and column of the unit no longer need to be transported.
In addition, the transporter has light and large casters which are gentle not just to the floor. The entire operating area is more hygienic since the casters are not attached to the system, like on a mobile operating table. These are hard to clean and more unhygienic as a result.
The operating table column can be rotated by 360° and offers ideal space for the feet of the team. The table top is, thanks to the use of x-ray-capable materials, almost completely radiolucent.
The universal operating table is available as both stationary, mobile and moveable units.
A mobile operating table is, however, used as a special table. The table top cannot be removed or replaced. Operation may, according to version, be manual, pedal or motorized.

Operating table positions

Patients may suffer pressure ulcers as a result of lying incorrectly on an operating table or lying on an operating table for too long. Nursing staff and doctors try to prevent this from happening.
Typical standard positions are, for example, back, stomach, side, Trendelenburg and a seated/half-seated position.
The patient should always be positioned or optimally positioned in cooperation with the anaesthetist, surgeon and operating room staff. Prior to the operation, the decision must be made as to exactly how the patient is to be positioned. This decision not only takes account of the type of operation, it also considers the age, weight and health of the patient with regard to the heart, lungs, circulation, metabolism, blood circulation problems etc.

Advantages of an operating table system

Unlike a mobile operating table which is usually employed in hospitals with small operating departments, for example, in ambulant operating rooms, modern operating table systems are characterized by their great mobility. They also have special table tops designed for a variety of surgical disciplines and, thanks to the ability to change these tops, they enable versatile use of an operating room. An operating table system with a stationary column is more stable and more hygienic. The better transport options improve the patient flow from the patient transfer unit and the operating room considerably. Finally, operating table systems with stationary columns enables control elements to be integrated into image procedures, for example, angiography, MR and CT.

Literature

  Kramme, Rüdiger: Medizintechnik. 3. Edition. Heidelberg 2007, P. 830-831
  Schindler, Herbert: Arbeitsgebiet Operationssaal. Lagerungen, Hygiene, Gefahren. Stuttgart 1985, P. 26
  Aschemann, Dirk: OP-Lagerungen für Fachpersonal. Heidelberg 2009, Figure P. 53-56

References

Further reading
Product Classification
Air Warming
Types of Operation tables
Procedures
Surgical instruments
Medical equipment

Operating table


René Rivera (born July 31, 1983) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, and Washington Nationals.

Professional career

Seattle Mariners
Rivera was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the second round (49th overall) of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft as a 17-year-old. He was chosen as a compensation pick from the Texas Rangers for the signing of Alex Rodriguez. Rivera played most of the 2004 season with the High-A California League Inland Empire 66ers but played with both the Triple-A and Major League clubs in September. He made his Major League debut September 22, , playing in two games for the Mariners that season as a late-inning replacement. Rivera began 2005 with the Double-A San Antonio Missions. He was promoted to the Mariners on May 15, but optioned back to San Antonio on May 20 without appearing in a game. He was again promoted to the Mariners on May 30 when starting catcher Miguel Olivo was sent down to Triple-A. On May 31, Rivera had his first Major League start and base hit, going 3 for 5 at the plate. Rivera shared catching duties with Pat Borders in June and was optioned back to San Antonio when Olivo returned. He played with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers in August and returned to the Mariners in September. In 2005, he had 12 starts at catcher and 19 hits in 48 at-bats at the Major League level.

Rivera was one of the final players cut from the roster in 2006 spring training and began the year at Triple-A. He was back with the Mariners by mid-April and served as a back-up to Kenji Johjima for the remainder of the season, batting .152 in 99 at-bats over 35 games. During the off-season, the Mariners weighed the benefits of allowing the young catcher to develop his hitting in the minor leagues against his providing limited offense in a back-up role in the Majors. In , Rivera played for the Mariners Double-A affiliate, the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx, batting .214 in 91 games. He was granted free agency in November.

Los Angeles Dodgers
On November 22, 2007, Rivera signed a minor league contract that included an invitation to spring training with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers assigned him to Double-A Jacksonville to begin the  season. While at Jacksonville, Rivera began playing some first base, along with catcher, and was promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas on June 3. He hit .250 across both levels and was granted free agency at the end of the season.

New York Mets
Rivera signed with the New York Mets in November 2008. He spent the 2009 season with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, appearing in 63 games at catcher and 3 at third base. He hit .234 with 9 home runs.

Camden Riversharks
Rivera began the 2010 season with the independent Camden Riversharks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. In 22 games with Camden, Rivera batted .280/.337/.610 with 7 home runs and 19 RBI.

New York Yankees
The New York Yankees signed Rivera on May 20, 2010, to a minor league contract. He was initially assigned to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees and was later moved to the Double-A Trenton Thunder.

Minnesota Twins
On December 17, 2010, Rivera signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins. His contract was purchased by the Twins on May 5, 2011. He was brought up from Triple-A to provide back-up to Drew Butera, who was the Twins' primary catcher with Joe Mauer on the disabled list. He went back to Triple-A in early July, but rejoined the team on August 28 when Mauer was sitting out. He finished the year with the Twins, hitting .144 in 104 at-bats over 45 games on the season.

Rivera was granted free agency at the end of the 2011 season, but re-signed with the Twins on a minor league deal and an invitation to spring training. Rivera stayed with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings for the full 2012 season, batting .226 in 95 games. Rivera was displeased with the Twins when he was passed over and they called up catcher Chris Herrmann from Double-A to add depth in September.

San Diego Padres

Rivera was signed to a minor league contract by the San Diego Padres on December 12, 2012. He was recalled from the Triple-A Tucson Padres on July 7, 2013, to replace Yasmani Grandal, who was placed on the disabled list. He was hitting .343 with Tucson at the time of his recall. He remained the backup to Nick Hundley for the rest of the season. In 23 games for San Diego, he hit .254/.268/.328 with 7 RBI and 4 runs.

The Padres opened 2014 carrying three catchers, and Rivera was selected as the Opening Day catcher. Rivera became the personal catcher for Andrew Cashner during the season and picked up more starts once Nick Hundley was traded in late May. He finished the year with the majority of starts at catcher for the Padres with 85. On August 27, Rivera hit a game-winning single in the 10th inning after hitting a game-tying home run in the 9th inning, becoming the first Padres player since Adrián González in 2010 to have tying and winning RBIs in the same game. On the year, Rivera batted .252 with 11 home runs in 294 at-bats over a total of 103 games.

Tampa Bay Rays
On December 19, 2014, the Padres traded Rivera, Jake Bauers, and Burch Smith to the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team trade that saw the Rays trade Wil Myers, Jose Castillo and Ryan Hanigan to the Padres, the Padres trade Joe Ross and a player to be named later to the Washington Nationals, and Washington trade Steven Souza and Travis Ott to Tampa Bay. In 2015, he was mainly used as the personal catcher for Chris Archer. Rivera finished the 2015 season hitting .178 with 5 home runs and 26 RBIs. Rivera was released by the Rays on March 30, 2016.

New York Mets (second stint)

On April 5, 2016, Rivera signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets. He was called up to the major league team on April 26, 2016, when Travis d'Arnaud was placed on the disabled list. He started for the Mets in their Wild Card game against the San Francisco Giants, going 1 for 3 and throwing out Denard Span. Throughout the season he was Noah Syndergaard and Seth Lugo's personal catcher. Rivera appeared in 65 games for New York, posting a .222/.291/.341 slash line with 6 home runs and 26 RBI. On December 3, 2016, Rivera and the Mets avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.75 million contract.

Chicago Cubs
On August 19, 2017, the Chicago Cubs claimed Rivera off waivers. He was added to the 25-man roster and was the starting catcher for the Cubs the following day against the Toronto Blue Jays. In 20 games with Chicago, Rivera slashed .341/.408/.591 with 2 home runs and 12 RBI.

Los Angeles Angels
On January 9, 2018, Rivera signed with the Los Angeles Angels. In 30 games with the Angels, Rivera logged a .244/.287/.439 slash line with 4 home runs and 11 RBI.

Atlanta Braves
Rivera was claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves on August 29, 2018. Rivera appeared in 3 games for Atlanta, and went 0-for-4 with 3 strikeouts.

San Francisco Giants
On February 8, 2019, he signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants. Rivera was released on March 23, 2019.

New York Mets (third stint)
On March 25, 2019, Rivera signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets. He was assigned to the Triple-A Syracuse Mets. On August 24, the Mets selected Rivera's contract. In 9 games with the Mets, Rivera went 4-for-17 with 1 home run and 3 RBI. On January 21, 2020, Rivera re-signed with the Mets on a minor league deal. On July 19, 2020, Rivera was selected to the Mets' 40-man roster. Rivera only appeared in 2 games for the Mets before undergoing season ending surgery to remove a bone spur from his left elbow.

Cleveland Indians
On April 14, 2021, Rivera signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians organization. The Indians selected Rivera's contract on May 5. Rivera slashed .236/.300/.400 with 2 home runs and 9 RBI in 21 games before he was designated for assignment on July 3. He was released by the Indians on July 8.

Washington Nationals
On July 16, 2021, Rivera signed a major league contract with the Washington Nationals. He made his Nationals debut at starting catcher the same evening in a game against the San Diego Padres. In 4 games for the Nationals, Rivera hit .214 with 0 home runs and 0 RBI's. On August 14, Rivera was released by the Nationals.

On February 17, 2023, Rivera announced his retirement from professional baseball.

Coaching career
In February 2023, Rivera was named manager of the Frederick Keys in the MLB Draft League.

Accomplishments
2004 California League Mid-Season All-Star team
2002 Northwest League Post-season All-Star team
MVP of the 2001 Excellence Tournament held in Puerto Rico

Personal life
Rivera is married to Mariel Perez, daughter of Eddie 'La Bala' Pérez, a founding member of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. She gave birth to twins in September 2013.

References

External links

1983 births
Living people
Baseball players from Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico
Major League Baseball catchers
Seattle Mariners players
Minnesota Twins players
San Diego Padres players
Tampa Bay Rays players
New York Mets players
Chicago Cubs players
Los Angeles Angels players
Atlanta Braves players
Cleveland Indians players
Washington Nationals players
Arizona League Mariners players
Everett AquaSox players
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players
Inland Empire 66ers players
Tacoma Rainiers players
San Antonio Missions players
West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx players
Jacksonville Suns players
Las Vegas 51s players
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players
Trenton Thunder players
Camden Riversharks players
Rochester Red Wings players
Tucson Padres players
Gigantes de Carolina players
Tigres del Licey players
Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic
Lobos de Arecibo players
Senadores de San Juan players
Indios de Mayagüez players
Leones de Ponce players
2017 World Baseball Classic players
Syracuse Mets players
Twitch (service) streamers

René Rivera


A Man to Remember is a 1938 American drama film directed by Garson Kanin, his first film credit as a director. The picture was based on the short story Failure, written by Katharine Haviland-Taylor, and the screenplay was penned by Dalton Trumbo. The story tells of a saintly small-town doctor working under difficult circumstances somewhere in the United States after World War I. The movie is a remake of One Man's Journey (1933) starring Lionel Barrymore.

Plot
Under the grieving eyes of most of a town, the funeral procession of Doctor John Abbott (Edward Ellis) passes a lawyer's office. The lawyer opens Abbott's strongbox for the deceased man's impatient  creditors, local banker George Sykes (Granville Bates), newspaper editor Jode Harkness (Frank M. Thomas) and store owner Homer Ramsey (Harlan Briggs). Flashbacks begin as they peruse Dr. Abbott's papers.

Widowed, Dr. Abbott arrives in Westport with his son Dick (Lee Bowman) after World War I. He borrows money in order to set up his medical practice. He delivers a healthy baby, Jean (Anne Shirley), but the mother dies. When her father does not want her, the doctor adopts the child.

Later, Ramsey tries to collect what he is owed from Abbott, only to find that Abbott has a hefty $100 bill for him for a life-saving operation. When Ramsey complains about the amount, the good-natured doctor settles for a mere $2.

As time goes on, Dr. Abbott seeks to convince the town leaders of the need for a hospital. Sykes, Harkness, and Ramsey refuse to consider it. However, when Sykes's son Howard (William Henry) accidentally shoots Jean in the arm, the doctor informs Sykes that he is required by law to report all gunshot wounds. Sykes is blackmailed into building the hospital and donating it to the town to avoid the legal problems. However, Dr. Abbott finds that Sykes has spitefully stipulated that only doctors who have had graduate studies within the last twenty years can register, and he is turned away.

Meanwhile, Dick goes to Paris to train to become a doctor. When he graduates and returns to Westport, he tells his father that he is going into partnership with Dr. Robinson (Gilbert Emery) because he is more interested in making money than in helping people.  This hurts the father deeply, but he never shares this with his son.

When Abbott fears that an outbreak of infantile paralysis (polio) among the children is imminent, he tries to get an upcoming county fair canceled. However, Sykes and Ramsey refuse his request. They phone Jode Harkness to get him to refuse to publish Abbott's urgent warning. Undaunted, the doctor has handbills printed and distributed by some young boys. He and Jean then visit all the children in Westport. This is brought to the attention of the county medical association, which votes to suspend him. Dick defends his father and resigns in protest. Then, Abbott is proved right. An epidemic erupts everywhere...except Westport. The association reverses itself and elects him its president.

Abbott is finally recognized for his humanitarian work by the community. His son sees the light and agrees to join Abbott's small medical practice. However, after Dick and Jean leave, he dies peacefully in his sleep. Returning to the present, Harkness, Sykes, and Ramsey finally acknowledge the goodness of the man who had been a thorn in their sides for so long.

Cast
 Anne Shirley as Jean
 Edward Ellis as John Abbott
 Lee Bowman as Dick Abbott
 William Henry as Howard Sykes
 Granville Bates as George Sykes
 Harlan Briggs as Homer Ramsey
 Frank M. Thomas as Jode Harkness
 Charles Halton as Perkins
 John Wray as Johnson
 Gilbert Emery as Dr. Robinson
 Dickie Jones as Dick Abbott, as a child
 Carole Leete as Jean, as a child
 Joe DeStefani as Jorgensen

Production
The film was based on a story called Failure which had been bought by RKO. Garson Kanin had been assigned to direct a Western but Dalton Trumbo told him about Failure. Kanin read it and became enthusiastic and asked Robert Sisk if he could do that story instead. The studio agreed, although Kanin had to use a mostly unknown cast and a budget of only $119,000.

Preservation status
In April 2007, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) premiered six films produced by Merian C. Cooper at RKO which had been out of distribution for more than 50 years. (A retired RKO executive stated in an interview used as a promo on TCM for the premiere that Cooper did allow the films to be shown in 1955–1956 in a limited re-release and only in New York City.)

According to TCM host Robert Osborne, Cooper agreed to a legal settlement in 1946, after accusing RKO of not giving him all the money due him from his producer's contract in the 1930s. The settlement gave Cooper complete ownership of six titles:

 Rafter Romance (1933)
 Double Harness (1933)
 The Right to Romance (1933)
 One Man's Journey (1933)
 Living on Love (1937)
 A Man to Remember

When Turner Broadcasting bought the RKO film library in 1987, the six films were not included and the rights had to be purchased separately.

The original copies of the film's negative were destroyed due to negligence. The only known surviving copy is a 35mm, original nitrate print with Dutch subtitles, which was restored by TCM.

In 2000, it was preserved by the Netherlands Film Museum.

Critical reception
The film was well received. In fact, it was named by The New York Times as one of the ten best films of 1938. Times film critic Frank S. Nugent wrote, "Our admiration for A Man to Remember is so ungrudgingly complete...a picture of this one's competence so looms out of all proportion to its physical size."

The film made a profit of $146,000.

Radio adaptations
A Man to Remember was presented in a one-hour radio adaptation on Lux Radio Theatre on December 4, 1939, starring Bob Burns and Anita Louise, and on May 18, 1942, starring Anita Louise and Lionel Barrymore. It was also presented as a half-hour play on Philip Morris Playhouse on September 26, 1941.

References

External links

1938 films
1938 drama films
American drama films
American black-and-white films
1930s English-language films
Remakes of American films
Films scored by Roy Webb
Films based on American novels
Films directed by Garson Kanin
Films with screenplays by Dalton Trumbo
1930s American films

A Man to Remember


Anette Ingegerd Olsson (born 21 June 1971), known by the stage name Anette Olzon, is a Swedish singer, best known as the former lead vocalist of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish from 2007 to 2012. She is also the vocalist of Swedish classic rock band Alyson Avenue, and of the Finnish heavy metal band The Dark Element.

Early life
Olzon was raised in a musical family and has been singing since childhood. Her mother also forced her to play the oboe for eight years. She toured with her mother's band and sang with them on some occasions. Later, she started to take part in various talent shows and received laudable recognition. The first band she joined at seventeen years of age (Take Cover) was a cover band. However, it was short-lived as she took part in several bands and projects. At 21, she played the leading role in the rock opera/musical "Gränsland" in Helsingborg. After that she got into the Balettakademien in Gothenburg. She sang in choirs, did studio work for various projects and occasionally performed as a wedding singer. Olzon also sang a duet with Michael Bormann (ex-Jaded Heart singer) on his album Conspiracy.

In her earlier days, Olzon took singing lessons at the Copenhagen Music Conservatorie, in Helsingør, Denmark, with a private teacher. She also took lessons from a private teacher at the Malmö Music University.

Before singing, Olzon has worked in a factory, in a hamburger restaurant, as a waitress, as a veterinarian assistant, in a number of offices and as a hair dresser. She has also studied musical artist education, psychology, project management and leadership and organization.

Career

With Alyson Avenue (1999–2005, 2018)

Olzon then joined Alyson Avenue, at first only as a studio singer, but later as their leading lady, replacing the male vocalist. The band received huge feedback for a demo they sent out in 1999, and Alyson Avenue was soon able to contact various labels. Main composer and keyboardist Niclas Olsson gathered the band, recording a four track demo which resulted in a record deal with AOR Heaven.

In November 2000, their debut album Presence of Mind was released to positive reviews. The next album Omega was released in 2004. Olzon left Alyson Avenue in 2006. In May 2009, Alyson Avenue introduced Arabella Vitanc as their new lead vocalist.

In 2018 the band reunited and played at Melodicrockfest Scandinavia in Malmö in early June.

With Nightwish (2007–2012)

Olzon officially joined Nightwish as their new lead singer in early 2007, chosen from about 2,000 applicants of which 10 made it to prove their place in front of the band. The song on her demo tape was the 2002 single "Ever Dream". She replaced the previous singer Tarja Turunen, who was fired in an open letter in the autumn of 2005. Olzon's demo was one of the first that Nightwish received, although she was originally denied the position, as band leader Tuomas Holopainen was concerned about the fact that she had a young son. However, Olzon was persistent and sent the band a live DVD of her performing with Alyson Avenue. She was then contacted by Nightwish's manager Ewo Pohjola, which eventually led to her taking up the position in February 2007. Tuomas commented on her selection saying "we (the band) took a formal vote, but it was unanimous that she would be the one. It was a matter of heart. We felt she was right." Her identity was kept secret by various methods, including pretending to be Ewo's "Swedish cousin" at a Tarot concert, until she was eventually announced as the new Nightwish singer on 24 May 2007.

The day after this revelation, 25 May 2007, charity single "Eva" was released as the first off the album, as download only. It was originally scheduled for release on 30 May but this was changed due to a leak on a British music download site. This was the first published song to feature Olzon. On 13 June Nightwish released the title, Dark Passion Play, and artwork to the new album on their official website, as well as the name and the cover of the second single (this time CD), "Amaranth". "Amaranth" achieved gold status in Finland after less than two days in stores.

Dark Passion Play was released around Europe in the last week of September 2007, in the UK on 1 October and the United States on 2 October. It was awarded double platinum in Finland the second day after its release and took the No.1 position on the charts of Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Hungary and Croatia and got in top 100 in other 16 countries, including the United States. Dark Passion Play has sold 6× Platinum worldwide up to date (over 1.5 million copies).

On 22 September 2007, the band hosted a secret concert at Rock Café in Tallinn, Estonia, disguising itself as a Nightwish cover band called "Nachtwasser". Their first official concert with the new singer was in Tel Aviv, Israel on 6 October 2007. The Dark Passion Play tour thus started, visiting the United States, Canada, most of Europe, Asia, and Australia. The Dark Passion Play World Tour was Nightwish's longest tour at the time, lasting from October 2007 to September 2009. The tour ended with a concert at Hartwall Arena, Helsinki, with the band Apocalyptica.

In October 2010, Nightwish began recording for the album Imaginaerum, with Olzon recording her vocals for the album in April 2011 at Finnvox Studios, Helsinki. The album was released on 30 November 2011 and was followed by the Imaginaerum World Tour, beginning on 21 January 2012. Olzon, along with the rest of Nightwish, starred in the film Imaginaerum, which featured music from the band.

On 1 October 2012, Nightwish and Olzon went their separate ways. Her final performance with Nightwish was on 29 September, at The Complex, Salt Lake City. While Olzon stated in an interview that she was fired from the band after she revealed to them she was pregnant, Nightwish made a subsequent statement denying this - they were all congratulative to her, and stating that "[t]he split with Anette wasn't because of pregnancy or illness. We discovered her personality didn't fit this work community, and was even detrimental to it." In a 2021 interview with Blabbermouth.net, Olzon revealed that she wanted the band's tour dates pushed back due to her pregnancy, but Holopainen denied the request. She was also against the band's decision to bring in Floor Jansen as the substitute vocalist out of fear for her job.

Solo career (2012–present)

Following her departure from Nightwish, Olzon began writing and recording material for a future solo album. In an interview with 'Dark Sirens' in October 2013, Olzon stated that her solo album would be released sometime in 2014.

It was announced on 28 November 2013 that Olzon's debut solo album will be called Shine. The album has been produced by Stefan Örn and Johan Glössner and co-produced by Olzon and Johan Kronlund. About the album, Olzon said: "The overall message of the album is that life can be really dark and filled with hardship and sadness, but you can always choose to see some light coming through, to make you stronger and full of life – making you SHINE... no matter what." Olzon described the album's musical direction as "a pop rock album maybe, or would you call it pop metal?". On 27 January, Olzon announced that the release date for her album had been pushed a month, making the new release date 28 March 2014

The first song from Shine, "Falling", was released for digital download on 17 December 2013 along with a lyric video on YouTube. A teaser for the album's first official single, "Lies", was posted on Olzon's official Facebook page on 7 February 2014; followed by the single's eventual release on 14 February 2014.

In a June 2015 interview, Olzon said she had plans for a future second album, but details are still being discussed with her new label.

On 19 January 2016 Olzon released an EP with only two songs, a Swedish song called "Vintersjäl" and an English song called "Cold Outside" only available for digital download.

On 21 June 2021 Olzon released the single "Parasite" from the album Strong, which was later released on 10 September 2021.

The Dark Element (2017–present)
Olzon announced on 29 August 2017 that she would be collaborating with former Sonata Arctica guitarist Jani Liimatainen for a project known as The Dark Element. The debut self-titled album was released on 10 November 2017. Their second album, Songs the Night Sings, was released on 8 November 2019.

Other works

Olzon has played with several bands, in studio and live, including Brother Firetribe on the song "Heart Full of Fire" from the album of the same name in 2008, The Rasmus on the single "October & April" in 2009, Pain on the song "Follow Me", "Feed Us" from Cynic Paradise in 2008 and Black Mount Rise on the single "Apart & Astray" in 2015.

On 13 August 2009, Olzon sang two Nightwish songs, "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" and "Meadows of Heaven", with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, at the Suomi Safari – the event was in celebration of Sweden and Finland relations.

On 30 November 2012, Olzon sang at the opening gala of Helsingborg Arena, where she performed two songs from her own material.

Anette Olzon was featured on the second season of the Finnish competition show Tähdet, Tähdet in 2015. Along with the several popular Finnish musical artists, Olzon performed their own covers of songs from various genres, with one singer being dropped out of the competition each week by televote. Olzon was the only foreign artist to be featured on the program, though she performed one song partly in Finnish. She was eliminated on the fifth week of the show.

Olzon collaborated with Symphony X vocalist Russell Allen in 2020, under the name Allen/Olzon. Worlds Apart, their debut album, was released on 6 March 2020.

Influences

Olzon has mentioned Natalie Cole and Celine Dion as being her inspirations in singing. She has also stated that she admires symphonic metal vocalists Sharon den Adel and Simone Simons, and she has also stated on her blog that she enjoys and admires Tarja Turunen's solo work.

Personal life

Olzon lives in Helsingborg with her husband, former Pain bassist Johan Husgafvel, whom she married on 10 August 2013, and her three children: sons, Seth (Blyckert) (born 11 July 2001) from her first marriage, Nemo (born 30 July 2010), and Mio (born 28 March 2013). As of 2020, she is working full-time as a nurse.

Discography

Studio albums:
 Shine (2014)
 Strong (2021)

Nightwish
Studio albums:
 Dark Passion Play (2007)
 Imaginaerum (2011)

Soundtracks:
 Imaginaerum: The Score (2012)

EPs, Live Albums & MCDs:
 Made in Hong Kong (And in Various Other Places) (2009)

Alyson Avenue
Studio albums:
 Presence of Mind (2000 / Re-released in 2009)
 Omega (2004 / Re-released in 2009 as Omega II)

The Dark Element
Studio albums:
 The Dark Element (2017)
 Songs the Night Sings (2019)

Allen/Olzon
Studio albums:
 Worlds Apart (2020)
 Army of Dreamers (2022)

References

External links

Anette's new official blog
Nightwish's official website
Anette's entry on Metal-Archives.com

1971 births
Women heavy metal singers
Living people
Nightwish members
People from Katrineholm Municipality
Swedish heavy metal singers
Swedish women singers
Swedish women singer-songwriters
Swedish singer-songwriters
Swedish expatriates in Finland
English-language singers from Sweden
Balettakademien
Frontiers Records artists
Swedish nurses

Anette Olzon


Home Insurance Co. v. Dick, 281 U.S. 397 (1930), was one of the earliest conflict of laws cases in which the United States Supreme Court held that the U.S. Constitution imposes certain limitations on the ability of states to apply their own law to events occurring in other states.

Facts
In this case, C. J. Dick was a resident of Texas, but was living in Mexico, where he was operating a tugboat for a Mexican company. The tugboat was lost in a fire, and Dick  returned to Texas to file a lawsuit against two New York-based reinsurers of the Mexican corporation that owned the boat. Later analysts have questioned whether the true facts of the case were really before the courts as it reached various levels of appeal:

Home Insurance Co. sought to dismiss the suit because Dick had waited more than a year to file the lawsuit, and a clause in the Home Insurance Co. insurance contract required that any action against it had to be brought within a year of the injury. Although this provision was valid under Mexican law, the Texas courts applied a Texas state law which deemed such clauses invalid unless they provided at least two years for the claimant to file a lawsuit.

Opinion of the Court
The Court, in a unanimous opinion by Justice Brandeis, held that the state of Texas has no power to affect contracts made outside the state, and having no relation to anything done or to be done within the state. The state therefore could not constitutionally apply its own rule invalidating contract clauses that required any statute of limitations under two years to a contract that had no relation to Texas beyond the fact that the plaintiff was a Texas resident. These contacts were insufficient to satisfy the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The Supreme Court also rejected a number of defenses raised by Dick. First, the Court rejected claims that the state of Texas had a public policy interest in the outcome of the case, noting that Home Insurance Co. was basically dragged into the Texas courts against its will, and for a matter that did not involve an injury occurring in Texas or a party insured in Texas.

Second, the Court rejected the argument that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction for want of a federal question over a matter of local law. The Court rejected this argument because the case did not involve a local interpretation of the contract, but application of a law external to the contract itself.

Finally Dick contended that the Constitution does not require states to recognize laws of foreign countries. The court rejected this argument because the appeal raised a due process claim, not a claim under the Full Faith and Credit Clause. The court noted that due process applies to aliens, and in any case that the defendant here was a New York company.

Later developments
The doctrine thereafter continued to steadily develop in a series of cases over the following decades. Within a few decades after the decision, the Supreme Court had also enunciated doctrines that would largely foreclose personal jurisdiction over the defendant in cases such as this.

References

External links

United States Supreme Court cases
United States Supreme Court cases of the Hughes Court
1930 in United States case law
United States conflict of laws case law

Home Insurance Co. v. Dick