New Constitution comes into force in Belarus on March 15

March 15, BPN. On March 15, the Constitution Day in Belarus, the decisions of the republican referendum held on February 27 came into force, when, according to the Central Election Commission, amendments and additions to the Constitution of Belarus were approved.

Key amendments include legitimization of the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, a restoration of the rule limiting the presidency by one person to a maximum of two terms, introduction of immunity for former presidents, monopolization of the state ideology, and abolition of the clause on the neutral and nuclear-free status of the country.

At the ratification ceremony on March 4, Aliaksandr Lukašenka reserved two years to adjust all legislative acts to the new version of the Constitution. “In the new Constitution, we abandoned the decrees passed by the president. We specified that his decrees and orders should not contradict the law,” he stressed.

During the referendum, the expert mission of the Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections campaign recorded numerous violations, concluding that the results “cannot be recognized as reflecting the will of the voters.”

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, stated that the Belarusian regime organized the constitutional referendum amid widespread human rights violations and violent repression against all segments of Belarusian society.