Both chambers of Belarusian parliament pass bill on amending Constitution

“The initiative to introduce amendments was expressed as the parliament's inquiry sent to the head of state to outline the need to amend the existing Constitution by introducing the single voting day. This initiative had been prompted by dialogue platforms and by queries sent by citizens,” said Sergei Sivets, Chairman of the Legislation and State Building Commission of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus.

In his words, the introduction of the single voting day is convenient for voters and for the state from the financial point of view. “Because any election campaign costs money,” the senator noted. “The president backed the initiative of the parliament. The initiative was formalized during the spring session. A bill on amending the Constitution was adopted on 25 June. The bill introduces the single voting day and respectively extends the term of office of municipal councils of deputies until the next elections to the parliament. That is till late 2023.”

Sergei Sivets stressed that in line with article 138 of the Constitution draft amendments and addenda to the Constitution need to be discussed twice and at least three months have to pass between the discussions. It allowed MPs to once again thoroughly review the suggested innovations and discuss them during meetings with citizens. Sergei Sivets also drew attention to this innovation during meetings with worker collectives. “I heard no voices against it and no objections,” he said. “This institute is well-received by the society and will contribute to the development of the society and the state.”