Belarus president signs key law, strengthening powers of head of state

On January 3, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed the law amending the “President of the Republic of Belarus” approved by the Parliament in December 2023.

Tổng thống Belarus ký luật quan trọng, củng cố quyền hạn của người đứng đầu quốc gia

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko could stay in office for another 10 years under an amended constitution.

Lukashenko signed the amended law "On the President of the Republic of Belarus", which details the powers of the head of state, taking into account the amended Constitution and law enforcement activities, the press office of the President of Belarus said.

Among the changes is the strengthening of the president's powers to make proposals to the National Assembly on the election of the president, vice presidents (of the National Assembly) and judges of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the chairman and members of the Central Election Commission, as well as proposals on the possibility of sending military personnel abroad to participate in activities to ensure collective security and maintain international peace and security.

The requirements for a presidential candidate were also clarified. Accordingly, presidential candidates must be citizens of Belarus, over 40 years of age, have the right to vote, have lived in Belarus for at least 20 years before the election, and not have foreign citizenship, residence permits or other foreign documents.

Previously, the amended Constitution was passed in a referendum in February 2022 and took effect in March of the same year.

The constitutional amendments include a president not being able to serve more than two consecutive terms, but only take effect from the next president, meaning incumbent President Lukashenko will be able to stay in power for another 10 years.

Belarus' new parliament is expected to become the country's highest representative body, with the power to approve domestic and foreign policies, military doctrines and national security concepts.

The parliament will have the power to remove the president from office if he commits a serious and systematic violation of the constitution, or if he commits treason or other serious crimes. The amended constitution also states Belarus's neutrality and nuclear non-proliferation stance.

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