Draft of new Constitution collected over 7,000 comments

Vadim Ipatov, Director of the National Centre of Legislation and Legal Research, Deputy Chair of the CEC, spoke during the round table discussion dedicated to the Image of the Future through the Prism of the Draft Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, held at the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies

According to Mr. Ipatov, citizens are very actively involved in the discussion and this interest can be explained. “Citizens are discussing the Basic Law. This is a social contract, which is very important for the sovereignty and independence of our country,” noted Mr. Ipatov.

Speaking about the public discussion of the Constitution, the CEC Deputy Chair used the term ‘public audit’ and explained, “Alongside the public discussion, of course, there is an assessment of what has already been done. A lot has been done, because the work on the Constitution has been going on for almost a year. We must remember the dialogue platforms that have taken place. We must recall the work of the Constitutional Commission, which has not been completed. Therefore, the interest is very big, it is justified, and it helps us all who are involved in this process to look again at what should be included in the final project,” said the Director of the National Centre of Legislation and Legal Research.

Answering a question about what the Belarusian future will be like if this draft Constitution is adopted, Vadim Ipatov responded, “Peaceful and stable, enabling every citizen to be confident in their future, enabling our children to grow up in a peaceful and calm environment, enabling our economy to work. And for this we need the Basic Law, which establishes the legal foundations for the further development of the Republic of Belarus.”