At the time of its independence, Belarus appeared to be well on its ways toward democratic development, but this changed with the election of a populist president, Alexandre Lukashenko, in 1994. This set off a long period of democratic backsliding, with Lukashenko winning every subsequent election and imposing tight restrictions on political opposition. The OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group was created in 1997 to promote democratic development, protect non-governmental and civil society organizations, and to monitor subsequent elections. After its efforts proved futile, the government of Belarus refused its renewal, and it ceased operation in 2011. Although Belarus has not experienced large-scale violence, the presence of structural violence against the political opposition prevented the OSCE mission from achieving its goal of enhancing democratic political processes and human rights in Belarus.