{"id":73535,"date":"2024-03-16T18:13:38","date_gmt":"2024-03-16T15:13:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/73535\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T13:35:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:35:32","slug":"voters-locked-out-of-all-belarusian-peoples-assembly-selection-process","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/73535\/","title":{"rendered":"Voters locked out of All-Belarusian People’s Assembly selection process"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, a big gathering of government-picked delegates with expanded powers, has nothing to do with democracy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n \"\"\n
\n
\n\n All-Belarusian People's Assembly styled after Communist Party congresses. Minsk, February 12, 2021\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Website of Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka repeatedly rewrote the Constitution to award himself more and more powers. Before 2022, the All-Belarusian People\u2019s Assembly was not even mentioned in the Constitution and its function was limited to a political theater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the new basic law, however, it can even impeach presidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials and loyalists nominate themselves as delegates<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The central election commission on March 12 opened nominations for seats at the All-Belarusian People\u2019s Assembly, which approves key domestic and foreign policy priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The newly elected members of the House of Representatives automatically become delegates, said Ihar Karpienka, chairman of the central election commission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The members of the upper house of the National Assembly, the Council of the Republic, to be approved soon by regional councils and appointed by \u0141uka\u0161enka, will also automatically be included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All deputies of the Minsk City Council become delegates automatically. Executive officials and judges will also be included.

In addition, before March 31, local councils of deputies of various levels can propose 290 delegates, while local branches of government-established associations can put forward 400 delegates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only government-friendly activists will be admitted. Last November the Ministry of Justice identified five organizations allowed to delegate vetted candidates: the association Bie\u0142aja Ru\u015b (not to be confused with the pro-government party with the same name), the Belarusian Public Association of Veterans, the Belarusian National Youth Union, the Belarusian Women’s Union and the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus, a government-controlled trade union association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The delegates will be confirmed between April 1 and 10. The assembly is expected to convene in late April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lower chamber of the Belarusian parliament, the House of Representatives, and the local councils were formed after the parliamentary and local elections held from February 20 to 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elections were marred by political reprisals. Not a single opposition candidate was allowed to compete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups reported gross irregularities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States condemned the Belarus\u2019 elections as a sham. The foreign ministries of Germany, Denmark, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and Sweden as well as Ukrainian and German MPs and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe made similar conclusions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese experience may come in handy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The assembly will be composed of staunch supporters of \u0141uka\u0161enka, and selected without even ritualistic involvement of voters. This is a natural step in the degradation of the authoritarian regime, whose leader has lost popular support.

A couple of times \u0141uka\u0161enka publicly regretted that the Constitution does not provide for the possibility of a president to be appointed by the All-Belarusian People\u2019s Assembly.

\u201cI am increasingly coming back to the idea that I rejected when the Constitution was adopted,\u201d he said in August 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have studied the system of party building and elected bodies around the world. We should have taken the risk to propose that people elect the authorities, and especially the president, at the All-Belarusian People\u2019s Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo some extent, the presidential election rocks the boat, and a number of countries have a different system. Take China for instance, the head of the country is elected at the All-China People\u2019s Congress . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe would have survived. We would have worked quietly. And the parliament would have been elected by constituencies, as it was before. We missed it, but it\u2019s not a disaster. If necessary, we will return to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He argued that “the All-Belarusian People\u2019s Assembly consists of professionals and represents a cross-section of the whole society, whereas not all of the millions of voters can be really immersed in all the processes.” \u0141uka\u0161enka said. In other words, he does not trust voters to handle such a responsible matter as anointing the ruler to the kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n \"\"\n
\n \n
\n (pexels.com \/ Pixabay)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The way the assembly is being formed clearly shows that after 2020 \u0141uka\u0161enka’s system tries to insulate itself from the people. The government considers people unreliable and ungrateful, so it locks voters out of all political processes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, a big gathering of government-picked delegates with expanded powers, has nothing to do with democracy. Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka repeatedly rewrote the Constitution to award himself more and more powers. Before 2022, the All-Belarusian People\u2019s Assembly was not even mentioned in the Constitution and its function was limited to a political theater. Under […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":72524,"template":"","rubric":[22],"class_list":["post-73535","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nVoters locked out of All-Belarusian People's Assembly selection process | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The All-Belarusian People's Assembly, a big gathering of government-picked delegates with expanded powers, has nothing to do with democracy. 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