Constitution of Belarus

A pamphlet version of the Constitution distributed to citizens by the government. The document's name is given in Belarusian, followed by Russian.

The Constitution of the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Канстытуцыя Рэспублікі Беларусь; Russian: Конституция Республики Беларусь) is the supreme basic law of Belarus.[1] The Constitution is composed of a preamble and nine sections divided into 146 articles.[2]

Adopted in 1994, three years after the country declared its independence from the Soviet Union, this formal document establishes the framework of the Belarusian state and government and enumerates the rights and freedoms of its citizens. However, the United Nations and various observers challenge that the rule of law is respected or that the judiciary is independent in Belarus, highlighting the consolidation of power by the current president.[3][4][5]

The constitution was drafted by the Supreme Council of Belarus, the former legislative body of the country and is heavily influenced by Western constitutions. The constitution has been amended thrice under controversial circumstances since the original adoption, in 1996, in 2004 and in 2022. Two referendums that were disputed by independent observers and government opposition leaders increased the power of the presidency over the government and eliminated the term limits for the presidency.

  1. ^ CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS OF 1994 (with changes and additions adopted at the republican referenda of November 24, 1996* and of October 17, 2004), The National Legal Internet Portal of the Republic of Belarus, retrieved 2021-06-08
  2. ^ BelTA. March 15 - Day of Constitution (of the) Republic of Belarus Archived 2007-06-07 at the Wayback Machine. Published March 13, 2007. Retrieved July 11, 2007. (in Russian)
  3. ^ Lukashuk, Alexander (1998). "Yesterday as Tomorrow: Why It Works in Belarus". Eastern Europe Constitutional Review. 7 (3). Archived from the original on 2008-05-18. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
  4. ^ Burkhardt F. (2016). "Belarus". In Fruhstorfer A.; Hein M. (eds.). Constitutional Politics in Central and Eastern Europe. Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft. Springer VS. pp. 463–493. doi:10.1007/978-3-658-13762-5_19. ISBN 978-3-658-13761-8.
  5. ^ Cumaraswamy, Dato' Param (2001). Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Dato' Param Cumaraswamy, submitted in accordance with Commission resolution 2000/42 (Report). United Nations.