Following his re-election last December, President Alexander Lukashenko has appointed a new prime minister.

The previous incumbent, Sergey Sidorsky, had been in office since July 2003. He has been replaced by Mikhail Myasnikovich, who was previously the head of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

There is a report (here from France24) that President Lukashenko sacked PM Sidorsky. This seems to be generated by the president’s comment that the government “has to turn into a collective unit” and that Myasnikovich would be the person who would enable it to do so.

PM Myasnikovich was appointed on 28 December. His appointment was unanimously approved by the House of Representatives on 27 January.