Golovchenko comments on proposed powers of the Council of Ministers

The draft law On the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus is aimed at bringing the legal framework in line with the amendments of the Constitution – as stated by Belarus’ Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko after a meeting with the President

According to the PM, the structure of the Government remains basically the same, except that the Office of the Council of Ministers itself will have the status of a state body. The power of the President to determine the composition of the Government is still retained.

“Probably, it is important that the adopted laws, including those on the Council of Ministers, should be universal,” Roman Golovchenko said. “In which way? They should create a solid framework for the implementation of state-power functions, regardless of which person heads this or that authority. Therefore, when developing this law, we proceeded from the fact that it should be a stable system element of the country’s executive power, ensuring its efficiency, regardless of who heads the Government, who are deputy prime ministers, and so on. Considering that the President supported the proposed approaches, this task has been solved.”

According to Roman Golovchenko, the draft law clearly determines in which areas the executive branch and the Belarusian People’s Congress interact, “For example, the PM annually reports to the People’s Congress on the implementation of the country’s socio-economic development programme. Accordingly, he receives a conclusion on his work or some adjustments that need to be changed. Therefore, we do not see any contradictions here.”

Answering the question whether the Government is ready for greater initiative and independence, which the Head of State demands from it, Roman Golovchenko noted, “We clearly spelled out in the law the universal powers of the Council of Ministers and the powers in specific areas. The hands of the Government are not tied, that is absolutely certain. Moreover, from late 2020, the Council of Ministers can adopt regulatory legal acts in the field which it regulates. Earlier, e.g., the Government could make only those decisions, the competence to make which is directly prescribed in Presidential decrees or laws while now, on all issues that fall within our competence, we can independently make decisions, thus implementing government powers.”