Belarusian Democratic Republic
The Belarusian People's Republic (BNR; Belarusian: Беларуская Народная Рэспубліка, romanized: Biełaruskaja Narodnaja Respublika, БНР), or Belarusian Democratic Republic, was a state proclaimed by the Council of the Belarusian Democratic Republic in its Second Constituent Charter on 9 March 1918 during World War I. The Council proclaimed the Belarusian Democratic Republic independent in its Third Constituent Charter on 25 March 1918 during the occupation of contemporary Belarus by the Imperial German Army.
Belarusian Democratic Republic Беларуская Народная Рэспубліка Bielaruskaja Narodnaja Respublika | |||||||||||||||
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| 1918–1919 Exile: 1919–present | |||||||||||||||
Flag
Coat of arms
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| Anthem: Ваяцкі марш Vajacki marš "March of the Warriors" | |||||||||||||||
Claimed territories superimposed on modern borders | |||||||||||||||
| Status | Partially recognized state under German occupation (1918) Government in exile (1919–present) | ||||||||||||||
| Capital | 1918 Minsk · Vilnius 1918–1919 Hrodna | ||||||||||||||
| Capital-in-exile | 1919–1923 Kaunas 1923–1945 Prague 1948–1970 Paris 1970–1983 Toronto 1983–present Ottawa | ||||||||||||||
| Common languages | Belarusian Minority languages: Russian Polish Yiddish Lithuanian Ukrainian | ||||||||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Belarusian | ||||||||||||||
| Government | Unitary parliamentary republic under a provisional government | ||||||||||||||
| President of the Rada | |||||||||||||||
• 1918 | Jan Sierada | ||||||||||||||
• 1918–1919 | Jazep Losik (acting) | ||||||||||||||
| President in exile | |||||||||||||||
• 1919–1928 | Piotra Krečeŭski | ||||||||||||||
• 1928–1943 | Vasil Zacharka | ||||||||||||||
• 1943–1970 | Mikoła Abramčyk | ||||||||||||||
• 1970–1982 | Vincent Žuk-Hryškievič | ||||||||||||||
• 1982–1997 | Jazep Sažyč | ||||||||||||||
• 1997–present | Ivonka Survilla | ||||||||||||||
| Legislature | Rada | ||||||||||||||
| Historical era | World War I | ||||||||||||||
• Established | 6 March 1918 | ||||||||||||||
• Independence proclaimed | 25 March 1918 | ||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | Spring 1919 | ||||||||||||||
• In exile | 1919–present | ||||||||||||||
| Currency | Ruble | ||||||||||||||
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The government of the Belarusian Democratic Republic never had power over the whole territory of Belarus. In 1919, it co-existed with an alternative Soviet Russia-controlled Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia (which later became part of the Lithuanian–Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic), moving its seat of government to Vilnius and Hrodna, but ceased to exist due to the partition of the whole Belarusian territory between the Bolshevik Red Army and the Polish Armed Forces as a result of the Polish–Soviet War of 1919–1921.
Currently, its government in exile, the Rada (Council) of the Belarusian Democratic Republic is the oldest still functioning government in exile.