Lukashenko proposed to leave issue of civil society actors in Belarus open for now
At today’s meeting dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, President Aleksandr Lukashenko proposed to leave the issue of the list of civil society actors in Belarus open for now, BelTA reports
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that previously the concept of ‘civil society’ and everything that fills it was connected with the understanding of this civil society by the West. “You know whom they meant as parts of this civil society. At one time, I strongly suggested that we should finally make our decision. Civil society is a normal concept. However, the main thing is what it means. At this point we have decided for ourselves, enabling representatives of civil society actors to be active builders of our state and the entire social structure of our country,” the President said.
The Head of State recalled that there was hot debate on this issue during the development of the amendments to the Constitution.
“Meanwhile, I’m thinking more about whether this issue is closed or not. I think no. There’s no need to close it. Perhaps new civil society actors will appear. If we are guided by the needs of life – this is generally my principle – what is pushing us today to close this issue? Let’s leave it open for now. The time will come and we will make the final decision, if necessary,” said the Belarusian leader.
During the meeting, the Chairman of the Belaya Rus party and the public association of the same name, Oleg Romanov, expressed his opinion that the 30-year path towards the formation of civil society in Belarus has been completed successfully. “Attempts to impose alien, unacceptable ways of social development on us – through separate socio-political structures, both from outside and from within the country – were rejected. The Belarusian people have clearly and unequivocally demonstrated their desire to build their own democratic system. The embodiment of this desire is a public demand for the constructive involvement of civil society representatives in the management of state affairs,” he said.
In 2023, the country adopted a law on the foundations of civil society.
Oleg Romanov called the Belarusian People’s Congress the pinnacle of Belarusian democratic construction, a model of direct democracy for the whole world.
At the same time, despite significant successes in the formation of Belarus’ civil society, its development continues, and Oleg Romanov outlined a number of issues, including the need to intensify the interaction of various actors of civil society in order to constantly synchronise watches in assessing certain political events. “An indicator of the increased maturity of Belarusian civil society is the development and implementation of a unified strategy in supporting the state’s political course with constructive forces, as well as increasing public self-awareness and civic activity of the population. An example is the Belarusian ‘big nine’, encompassing 4 political parties and 5 public associations – consolidated within the headquarters of patriotic forces,” added Oleg Romanov.
He emphasised that pluralism of opinions is useful and safe only if people’s agreement is achieved on key issues of political life, “The value of an independent, strong, and prosperous Belarus is such a fundamental basis for us, alongside the idea of building a socially just society based on traditional values and strong state power. The people’s trust in the President enables us to successfully overcome and jointly solve the problems of the country’s socio-economic, spiritual and cultural development, while giving civil society clear guidelines for its development.”
