Yaraslau Ramanchuk

Economist.

Born on January 10, 1966 in the urban village of Sapotskin in Hrodna region. His father worked as an electrician, mother, technologist by training – on the farm.

Because of Polish origin, Ramanchuk was not allowed to ented a military school.

He graduated from the Minsk State Institute of Foreign Languages ​​(now State Linguistic University), he later finished the Postgraduate School of the National Institute of Higher Education at the Belarusian State University (Department of Economic Thought).

He began teaching at the alma mater at the Department of English Grammar (1990-91). He estimated that to earn enough money for a flat in this post, he  would have to work 54 years and started doing business – he headed a foreign company (1992). At the same time, he headed the department of external relations of the Union of Entrepreneurs of Belarus.

He became the chief specialist of the commission on economic policy and reform in the Supreme Soviet of the 13th convocation, adviser to Stanislau Bahdankevich. At that time, he established contacts with the ministries and research institutes. He started to work on the development concept of the Belarusian economy by analyzing international experience.

He then engaged in journalism and worked as an economic columnist, deputy editor, executive director of the “Belorusskaya Gazeta” (1997-2002).

He collaborated with the Center for Strategic Initiatives “East-West”, which united businessmen, politicians and academics in a single think tank for the purpose of building a civil society and mutual understanding between East and West (closed by the Belarusian authorities, together with the office of the Soros Foundation). Then he began to manage (since 2002) the Mises Center (named after the Austrian economists Ludwig von Mises) at the analytical center “Strategy”.

From 2000 to 2011 he was Deputy Chairman of the United Civil Party, which he represented in the 2010 presidential elections. After the brutal dispersal of the post-election protests, he made a statement in the state media where he condemned Andrei Sannikau, Iryna Khalip, Vital Rymasheusky and Mikalai Statkevich for the events in the square.

He wrote over 800 articles on economic issues, as well as six books (including “Belarus: Road to the Future”, “Business in Belarus: The First Circle”, “In Search of the Economic Miracle”). He is one of the authors of the anti-crisis platform of the United Democratic Forces. He was nominated as candidate for the House of Representatives from the United Democratic Forces in the 2008 election, which he lost.

He is the author of alternative draft laws on the budget, privatization, military reform, health care reform; concepts of the pension and administrative reform, the integration of Belarus into the European Union, as well as the partnership between Belarus and Russia. He was a member of the interdepartmental working group under the Council of Ministers, which developed an action plan for the development of the country marketing of Belarus.

Mr Ramanchuk was one of the first members of the Union of Poles in Belarus in 1989 (at that time – Association named after Eliza Orzeszkowa). After the conflict of the Union of Poles with the authorities and the split, he took the side of the organization unrecognized by the authorities. He declares commitment to Catholicism

His wife, Alesya, is an economist, son Miraslau was born in 2012.