On Friday, December 30, Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, signed amendments to the law “On the National Assembly [Parliament] of the Republic of Belarus”, which will allow him to remain in politics even after the formal end of his powers.
Source: European Pravda citing BelTA, the state-owned national news agency of Belarus
The changes reduce the authority of the Belarusian parliament in favor of a newly formed body, the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, formed after a so-called referendum that amended the constitution of Belarus.
First, instead of two sessions, the People’s Assembly of Belarus will have only one session from September to June. Second, Parliament was stripped of the right to elect judges of the Constitutional Court and members of the Central Electoral Commission.
Members of both chambers of the Belarusian parliament – the House of Representatives (below) and the Council of the Republic (above) – will sit as delegates in the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly.
Finally, Lukashenko legislated that a President of Belarus who ceases to exercise his powers, with his consent, becomes a life member of the Council of the Republic. A similar provision was passed in Russia in 2020, according to which Vladimir Putin can sit on the Russian Federation Council after the theoretical end of his presidential powers.
Lukashenko’s regime claims that more than 65% of Belarusians support the draft of the new constitution. It envisages the creation of a new body, the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, which will have the right to dismiss the President and to recognize the election results.
It was long believed that the new constitution would mark a political transition in which Lukashenko would leave the presidency and head the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly. However, it later emerged that the new constitution “resets” Lukashenko’s previous term as president and also allows him to hold the positions of both president and chairman of the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly.
Lukashenko consolidated his power after the August 2020 presidential elections, which were not recognized by most of the world’s states. As a result, the Belarusian government-in-exile was installed under the leadership of opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Journalists fight on their own front. support Ukrainska Pravda or will our patron!