Lower house approves first reading of All-Belarusian People’s Assembly bill

December 20, BPN. The House of Representatives has approved the first reading of a bill that would govern the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, the press office of the lower house reported.

Constitutional amendments adopted in February 2022 refer to the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly as “the supreme representative body of democracy,” setting “strategic directions of development” and ensuring “the inviolability of the constitutional system.”

The bill sets out procedures for the Assembly’s convocation, specifies its powers and competencies.

The second reading is expected after the New Year and no later than March 2023, said Sviatłana Lubieckaja, chair of the lower house’s standing committee on legislation.

The bill also requires approval of the upper house. It will come into force after Alaksandr Łukašenka signs it into law.

The All-Belarusian People’s Assembly is to be formed of up to 1,200 delegates with a five-year mandate. It will meet at least once a year.

The Assembly’s decisions are “obligatory for execution and may cancel legal acts and other decisions of state bodies and officials, which contradict the interests of national security, except for the acts of judicial bodies.”