Why did Alexander Lukashenko oppose the dissolution of the Soviet Union?

Alexander Lukashenko’s opposition to the dissolution of the Soviet Union was rooted in his commitment to communist principles and a desire to maintain the political and economic structures of the Soviet era.1

In December 1991, Lukashenko was the only deputy in the parliament of the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic to vote against the agreement that formally dissolved the Soviet Union. Following the collapse, he maintained strong associations with conservative communist factions and continued to advocate for the reintegration of Slavic states, even appealing to the Russian State Duma in 1994 for the formation of a new union.1

Throughout his presidency, Lukashenko consistently resisted the rapid market-oriented reforms adopted by other post-Soviet states, instead favoring market socialism and pursuing close political and economic ties with Russia, eventually leading to the creation of the Union State.21