(MINSK) - Belarus is a Soviet-style state on the fringe of the European Union, ruled with a firm hand by President Alexander Lukashenko and cast by the West as the "bad boy" of formerly communist eastern Europe.

Herewith are some key facts about Belarus:

- Declared independent for a brief period in 1918, Belarus re-emerged as an independent state when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. A "union state" treaty was sealed with Russia in 2000, although President Alexander Lukashenko retains ultimate authority.

- 9.7 million inhabitants in an area around two-thirds the size of neighbouring Poland. While many claim Belarussian as their mother tongue, the language has been sidelined in favour of Russian.

- Heavy industry, fertilizer production, agriculture. Cheap natural gas from Russia provides a prop to the economy.

- Ruled since July 1994 by Lukashenko, an authoritarian figure who has since won two successive elections, both widely denounced as rigged.

- Described as "the last remaining dictatorship in Europe" by US President George W. Bush, speaking during a visit to neighbouring Latvia in May 2005.

- Belarus holds elections to its parliament, widely dismissed as a rubber-stamp body, on September 28. Next presidential polls are due in 2011.

Text and Picture Copyright 2008 AFP. All other Copyright 2008 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable.