The formula of supreme democracy

The Belarusian People’s Congress will assume the function of a stabiliser for society

Last week, the President held a meeting to discuss the draft law ‘On the Belarusian People’s Congress’, which was finalised taking into account public discussion. The bill is almost ready to be submitted to the Parliament. However, until now, one can often hear all sorts of speculation and reasoning that the Belarusian People’s Congress, they say, is an extra structure, which requires some fabulous expenses for the country, that only officials and leaders will be part of the People’s Council, and they don’t seem to decide anything at all. At the meeting, the Head of State dispelled all doubts and misconceptions of this kind and, as they say, dotted the I’s in this matter. So, what should the Belarusian People’s Congress be, and what is its essence and meaning?

During the 6th Belarusian People’s Congress
Photo by Sergei Mitsevich

President Aleksandr Lukashenko
“The Belarusian People’s Congress is the stabiliser of society. This is its main role — to stabilise society throughout all stages of its evolution. And if the need for negotiations arises, it will provide a platform… They will not let us live a quiet life. If such internal reasons for a clash emerge... Are we going to go against each other head-to-head? This should not happen. In addition, how can we prevent this? We are offering people and the state this mechanism — the Belarusian People’s Congress… And if suddenly something happens, the main question will be solved there.”
During a meeting to discuss issues related to the harmonisation of certain laws with the updated Constitution on December 13th, 2022

Maintain sustainability and continuity

President Aleksandr Lukashenko, 
“In the event of a conflict political parties will get agitated, various branches of power will bend in different directions, the turmoil will pass on to society, and this might spiral into civil war… What shall we do then? In this case the Belarusian People’s Congress will step on the scene. And people should know that in such a situation this body will convene and make a decision.”

Political analyst and researcher at the Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Piotr Petrovsky, 
“The main role of the Belarusian People’s Congress is to maintain the stability of the political system and continuity. This is an alternative to all sorts of Maidans, riots, Ukrainian scenarios, this is exactly what is commonly called the civilised path of political processes. The Belarusian People’s Congress is the option that will allow us not only to survive as a sovereign independent state in the current most difficult conditions, but also to form a continuity. Any ‘colour revolution’ is a clear example of how, instead of natural democratic processes and the legitimacy of the system, there are riots, coup d’état, chaos and destabilisation of the situation, devaluation and zeroing of the institutions of both civil society and democracy in general. So, our main task is to prevent such scenarios.”

Strategic decisions

President Aleksandr Lukashenko, 
“It is necessary to tell people that they should not rush to the Belarusian People’s Congress asking it to help resolve issues related to construction of houses, fences, roofs and toilets. This is not its function. It will deal with big issues, major issues facing our country… This is a strategy for how we will continue to live, how we will develop further.”

Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science of the Belarusian State Economic University, PhD in political sciences, Nikolai Veremeev, 
“Indeed, the Belarusian People’s Congress should consider strategic tasks. As far as I remember, even at the stage of formation and work of this body, there was talk that this Congress would become a ‘collective President’. And if this is a structure — the highest form of popular representation, it should also consider issues that correspond to its scale. It makes no sense to duplicate the powers and duties of the executive authorities that deal with tactical issues — there are representative bodies, executive committees and administrations of cities and regions, it is at their level that local issues should be resolved. Thus, we can discuss significant, strategic issues that require the attention of the general public of the country as a whole at the level of the Belarusian People’s Congress.”

Professionalism and competence

President Aleksandr Lukashenko 
[about the delegates of the Belarusian People’s Congress], 
“These should be professionals. These should not be random people who would come, attend the meeting, while away their time, understand or not understand something and leave. Such people should not be there. These should be competent people with a wealth of experience under their belt.”

Chairman of the Belaya Rus non-government organisation, member of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, Oleg Romanov, 
“The role of civil society in the nomination of the Belarusian People’s Congress delegates will be to ensure that all significant social groups are represented in the Congress — so that the Belarusian People’s Congress reflects the complexity and multidimensionality of the social structure of Belarusian society. And so that when discussing the issues that will be put on the agenda of the Belarusian People’s Congress, the opinions, visions, positions of all our communities: professional, regional, and so on, should be taken into account. The delegates of the Belarusian People’s Congress should not just be representatives of certain social groups, they should be the best representatives of their regions, professions and labour collectives. 
The combination of two functions — professionalism and a deep understanding of public life — will allow one to be real subjects of political creativity, real participants in the discussion, but not passive spectators and listeners.”

Photo by Sergei Mitsevich

Structure, role and functions of the Belarusian People’s Congress

The Belarusian People’s Congress is the highest representative body of the people’s power of the Republic of Belarus, which determines the strategic directions for the development of society and the state, ensuring the inviolability of the constitutional order, the continuity of generations and civil harmony.

Broad representation

President Aleksandr  Lukashenko, 
“Yet, representatives of labour collectives will account for 90 percent of delegates. Only the ways of getting into this Congress are somewhat different. It is not necessary for a factory staff to meet and nominate their representative to the Belarusian People’s Congress. The congress will also include MPs and members of public associations and other organisations that represent labour collectives in one way or another. These are teachers, workers, agricultural people, doctors and so on.”

Chairman of the Board of the Minsk Regional Association of the Belkhimproofsoyuz, PhD in Economics, Dmitry Shvaiba, 
“Even at a time when the idea of constitutional registration of the Belarusian People’s Congress was maturing, there was a task to ensure the representation of labour collectives and regions. In general, considering the formed legal base and the projects proposed today, it is clear that this task has been completed, the main thing now is to ensure this in practice. Representatives of labour collectives will enter the Belarusian People’s Congress through a quota of civil society, through the participation of deputies of local Councils of Deputies who carry out their activities on an undelivered basis (their main activity is work in labour collectives). They will provide the necessary linkage of ideas and objectives to be considered at the Belarusian People’s Congress level. 
Therefore, the assertions that the Belarusian People’s Congress will turn into another meeting of officials are simply insignificant. This can be said by people who are either unfamiliar with the legal framework and the proposed draft legislation, or deliberately throwing a destructive line into the information space.”

IMPORTANT TO KNOW
Decisions of the Belarusian People’s Congress are binding and can cancel legal acts, other decisions of state bodies and officials that are contrary to the interests of national security, with the exception of acts of the judiciary.

By Yevgeny Kononovich, Maksim Osipov