Lukashenko on Council of the Republic formation: everything there should be democratic
The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, has been reported today by the Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly, Natalya Kochanova, and the formation of the Upper House of Belarusian Parliament was among the issues on the agenda
The Head of State noted that work is currently underway in the House of Representatives on the formation of its leadership, as well as the preparation and holding of the first session of the new deputy corps. “This is not an easy job. The volume is large, so all instructions have been given, and work is underway,” he said.
The House of Representatives is to primarily elect its leadership and chairpersons of the commissions. The necessary organisational support will be provided, and the parliamentarians will then have to oversee the process. “I want the deputies to decide for themselves how to live and work,” the Head of State explained.
In turn, the Council of the Republic represents territories, and the nomination of candidates for its members from among the regions will begin on March 12th. The right of nomination belongs to the presidiums of local councils of deputies of the basic level and the relevant executive committees; in the city of Minsk – to the Presidium of the Minsk City Council of Deputies and the Minsk City Executive Committee.
In this regard, Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed, “Everything should be in a very democratic way there. An honest approach is needed, and this should be done not to report to someone. We have no one to answer to except our own people. Everything should be in a worthy manner, with no formalism. After all, this is such an expert council – the Upper House of Parliament – where all the laws are studied once again after being passed by the House of Representatives. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully look at the proposed candidates elected by the relevant councils.”
There are five permanent commissions in the Council of the Republic, and Aleksandr Lukashenko particularly focused on the selection of candidates who would head them in the future. “These five people, together with the chairman and the deputy [of the Council of the Republic] will form the main core of the Upper House. I would like to know how this work is progressing, and what problems might have emerged – from the point of view of whether I need to get involved in some issues or not. We need to form Parliament, since its role is increasing. It will include members of the Belarusian People's Congress, so we can say that the core will be concentrated there. This is very important for us,” the President stressed.
