Belarus’ draft constitution to be elaborated by expert group within short timeframe – Lukashenko

<p> MINSK, Sep 28 - PrimePress. A group of law experts will elaborate Belarus’ draft constitution within a short timeframe, President Alexander Lukashenko said during the extended session of the Constitutional Commission on 28 September, the president’s press-service said in a report. </p> <p>   </p> <p> In his words, there are different points of view in society, especially among people who have done a lot for the formation of the state. There are, in particular, those who believe that a referendum is unnecessary and that we should go the present way without changing the Constitution. “It cannot be accepted. We have promised to have a referendum on the Constitution… The Constitution ensures normal movement forward. Let us see it as changes. Changes need to be based on the fundamentals. Everything should be legal. The Constitution will lay the foundation for these changes,” said Lukashenko. </p> <p>   </p> <p> Lukashenko accentuated the point that the Constitution should make allowance for the lessons learnt in 2020. “After 2020, we realize that they should not come to power. They will eliminate not only us. It’s part of the trouble… They will destroy the country! Therefore, the new Constitution should take these nuances into account. It will be related to administration bodies, their powers and functions,” Lukashenko said. </p> <p>   </p> <p> He highlighted the proposal to stick to the current social policy and even noticeably enhance social security coverage. “Yet, we should not end up granting allowances and benefits for everything and everyone. This should never happen. Social security is not about granting more benefits. Our people (most of them but not all) rely on the government too much and believe that the government should do everything - from repairing fences to building housing,” Lukashenko said. He believes that the situation should gradually change in the future. </p> <p>   </p> <p> In his words, one of the most important proposals of the Constitutional Commission deals with the political system and is aimed at making it more balanced by redistributing powers of the president, parliament and government, introducing the constitutional status of the Belarusian People’s Congress and the Central Election Commission. </p> <p>   </p> <p> As previously reported, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko once again spoke about the possibility of adopting a new Constitution in June 2020 after former presidential candidate Viktor Babariko proposed to return to the 1994 Constitution, which significantly limited the powers of the president. Since then, Lukashenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian and Russian officials have repeatedly spoken about a possible constitutional reform in Belarus as a solution to the political crisis that has arisen in the country. Lukashenko said in September 2020 that he was going to call a new presidential election under a new Constitution. Although the Belarusian authorities have been talking about constitutional amendments since 2010, not a single draft or even a roadmap for constitutional reform has been made public. In an address to the VI All-Belarusian People’s Congress on 11 February Lukashenko announced that a new draft Constitution of Belarus will be ready in 2021 and would be discussed countrywide within a year. He confirmed that the referendum should be held no later than February 2022. </p> <p>   </p> <p> A 36-strong Constitutional Commission was established in Belarus, which was supposed to have submitted proposals to amend the constitution by August 2021. On 30 July, during a meeting with senior officials of local governments, Lukashenko said that he had returned for revision the draft constitution submitted to him. At the same time, he said, the referendum on the constitution will be held within the deadline of February, but the draft has yet to be finalised. End </p>

2021-09-29

Primepress