
Legislative branch
According to the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and constitution amendments passed by referendum in 1996, the Parliament, or the National Assembly, is the highest representative and sole legislative body of state power. It consists of two chambers: the Chamber of Representatives (110 seats; members elected by universal adult suffrage to serve 4-year terms) and the Council of the Republic (64 seats; 56 members elected by regional councils and 8 members appointed by the President, all for 4-year terms).
Chambers of the National Assembly meet separately except for specially prescribed cases of joint sessions. The chambers do not have any joint body. However, they are entitled to form a temporary conciliatory committee on the parity basis in order to overcome discrepancies on the bill rejected by the Council of the Republic.
The Chamber of Representatives
The deputies of the Chamber of Representatives are elected on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot.
In the present Parliament party affiliation is not crucial for composition of the parliamentary factions and deputy groups. This is the result of a weak party system on the whole, as well as of the political conflict between most of the political parties and the President. In order to avoid contradictions, the latter aims at limiting the opposition parties in the Parliament.
On September 28, 2008 the parliamentary elections were held in Belarus. All 110 deputies of the Chamber of Representatives were elected in the first round of the elections. The opposition failed to gain any seats in the Chamber.
Vladimir Andreichenko - Chairman of the Chamber of Representatives (elected on October 27, 2008)
The Council of the Republic
The Council of the Republic consists of deputies that represent administrative divisions of the Republic of Belarus. Regional councils of each province and the city of Minsk elect their eight members to the Council of the Republic. The other eight members are appointed directly by the President of Belarus.
According to the Constitution of Belarus, the Council of the Republic:
- Approves or rejects the bills passed by the Chamber of Representatives after two readings, bills on constitution amendments, addenda, and interpretations of the Constitution.
- Approves nominations to the high offices. Confirms on President’s introduction candidatures to the posts of the Chairman of the Constitutional Court, Chairman and judges of the Supreme Court, Chairman and judges of the Supreme Economic Court, Prosecutor General, Chairman of the Central Commission for Elections and National Referenda, Chairman and members of the Board of the National Bank; elects six judges of the Constitutional Court and six members of the Central Commission for Elections and National Referenda.
- As a representative body, is entitled to suspend the decisions of regional councils where they are contrary to the national legislature, and to make decisions on dissolution of regional councils of deputies in case they systematically or flagrantly violate the national legislature.
Boris Batura – Chairman of the Council of the Republic
Official Site
Lobby groups in the Parliament
The National Assembly does not play a decisive role in the policy making process. In particular, the legislative functions of the Parliament are significantly diminished by the opportunity of the President’s legislative initiative. Currently, all crucial economic and political matters are arranged by the presidential acts that have the force of law. Since 1997, when decrees became customary, the Parliament has never exercised its right to reject a presidential act. A lack of public confidence and impossibility to influence the decision making process resulted in a low political role of the National Assembly in the Republic of Belarus.
Lobbying of corporate and group interests through the Parliament is not effective. The deputy status is regarded as an opportunity to set up relations with the officials of the Presidential Administration and the Government who really influence the decision making process.
Thus, deputies lobby not in the Parliament, but in the circles close to the President. This leaves no opportunity for lobbying in the Parliament.
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