After seven decades as a republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet republics. Since his election in July 1994 as the country's first president, Alexander Lukashenko has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means. Belarus’ economy is highly industrialized and largely dependent on imported energy and raw materials mostly from Russia and other CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries. With limited market-oriented reforms, Belarus retains many features of a planned economy, and restrictive economic policies have held out foreign investment.