The All-Belarusian People's Assembly,[a] or ABPA,[1] is the highest organ of state power of the Republic of Belarus. Established in 1996, it was granted wide-reaching powers as a result of the 2022 Belarusian constitutional referendum and has since become the primary organ of the Belarusian government.
All-Belarusian People's Assembly Усебеларускі народны сход Всебелорусское народное собрание | ||
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| Overview | ||
| Type | Highest representative organ of the government. | |
| Length of term | Five years | |
| Term limits | None | |
| History | ||
| Established | 19 October 1996 | |
| First convocation | 19–20 October 1996 | |
| Leadership | ||
| Chairman | Alexander Lukashenko, Chairman of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly | |
| Executive organ | Presidium | |
| Members | ||
| Total | 1,200 | |
| Elections | ||
| Last election | 7th All-Belarusian People's Assembly (2024) | |
| Meeting place | ||
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| Palace of the Republic, Minsk | ||
History
editThe first Assembly was held 19–20 October 1996, a few weeks before the controversial referendum which was used to legitimize the concentration of power in the hands of president Alexander Lukashenko.[2] The second Assembly took place in May 2001, the third in March 2006, the fourth in 2010, the fifth in 2016, and the sixth in 2021.
Seventh assembly
editFollowing the 2022 Belarusian constitutional referendum, the All-Belarusian People's Assembly was given the position of the "highest representative organ of the people's government of the Republic of Belarus".[3] In accordance with proposals by Lukashenko, the composition of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly was placed at 1,200 delegates elected to a five year term. As a result of the referendum, the ABPA was given sweeping powers, including to dismiss the President, dispute the results of any election, and send the Armed Forces abroad at the President's request. Following the announcement of the plans, pro-democracy activist Anatoly Lebedko described Belarus as becoming a "super-presidential republic".[4]
As a result of further powers granted to the ABPA in 2024, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty described the newly-established office of chairman as the "highest state position".[5] Lukashenko was appointed as chairman of the ABPA during the 7th All-Belarusian People's Assembly on 24 April 2024. A presidium was also selected at the same time as Lukashenko's appointment.[6] Lukashenko was also elected as chair of the presidium.[7]
The post-2022 ABPA presidium was described by Novy Chas and Artyom Shraibman as being a form of a politburo[8] or a central committee.[1] Jakob Wöllenstein of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation saw the ABPA and its presidium as providing Lukashenko with "dual power" as long as he remained president of Belarus, and as a "dormant organ" that would justify his retaining de facto power if someone else were elected president.[7]
Delegates
editThe All-Belarusian People's Assembly comprises 1,200 delegates. This includes the President of Belarus, any former Presidents of Belarus, representatives of the government and courts, members of the councils of the regions of Belarus, and representatives of civil society. Quotas for local council and civil society members are selected by the Central Election Commission of Belarus, with the former including all members of the Minsk city council and the latter comprising Belaya Rus, the Belarusian Civic Association of Veterans, the Belarusian Union of Women, the Belarusian Republican Youth Union, and the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus.[9]
Criticism
editMembers of the Belarusian opposition are actively criticizing the Assemblies for allegedly being propaganda events organized to demonstrate unanimous support to the country's authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko.[10] Members of the opposition have regularly been denied access to the Assembly or prevented from speaking at it.[10] In 2006, presidential candidate and former rector of the Belarusian State University, Alyaksandr Kazulin, was beaten and detained by police after attempting to enter the All Belarusian People's Assembly. He was charged with disorderly conduct and released after being held in custody for eight hours.[11]
Opposition parties have characterized the Assemblies as an "unconstitutional body" whose aim was to "delegitimize the institute of parliament in Belarus" and to "demonstrate nationwide support [to Alexander Lukashenko] ahead of the presidential elections".[12]
Critics describe the procedure of appointing delegates to the Assembly as non-transparent[13] and undemocratic, similar to the procedure of appointing delegates to the Congresses of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during Soviet times.[10]
The critics point out that the Assembly "cannot be accepted as a legitimate expresser of the will of the Belarusian people. It was formed by orders of the executive bodies and is not a representative democratic body. Given that only and exclusively supporters of the policies of the current government will be present at the so-called Assembly, this body is unable to accomplish the task of national consolidation."[12]
Notes
edit- ^ Belarusian: Усебеларускі народны сход, UNS; Russian: Всебелорусское народное собрание, VNS.
References
edit- ^ a b Shraibman, Artyom (14 November 2023). "Belarus Gears Up for Elections and Powerful New People's Assembly". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ "The President of the Republic of Belarus Home page, Administration of the President of Belarus HOME PAGE on WWW Belarus - native, independent WWW server from Byelorussia". Archived from the original on 3 January 2006.
- ^ "Канстытуцыя Рэспублікі Беларусь" [Constitution of the Republic of Belarus]. President of Belarus (in Belarusian). Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ Voronin, Artem (27 December 2021). "Поправки в конституцию Беларуси: Лукашенко как отец нации и уступка Кремлю" [Belarus constitutional amendments: Lukashenko as father of the nation and concessions to the Kremlin]. BBC (in Russian). Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ "Указ Лукашэнкі: старшыня «усебеларускага народнага сходу» — найвышэйшая дзяржаўная пасада" [Lukashenka's decree: The chairman of the "All-Belarusian People's Assembly" is the highest state position]. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (in Belarusian). 7 February 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ Kubik, Sciapan (24 April 2024). "Супраць Лукашэнкі на чале УНС таемна прагаласавала толькі адна асоба. Ён сказаў, што гэта Качанава" [Only one person in the UNS hall voted against Lukashenko: He said this was Kochanova]. Belsat TV (in Belarusian). Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ a b Jakob Wöllenstein (4 June 2024), Political system in Belarus – One nation – two new representative bodies?, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Wikidata Q130340982, archived from the original on 21 September 2024
- ^ "«Мерапрыемства, ад якога за вярсту нясе і нафталінам». Эксперты — аб выніках правядзення УНС" ["An enterprise from which mothballs will be carried for miles": Experts on the results of the holding of the UNS]. Novy Chas (in Belarusian). 27 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ Rudenka, Arsien (16 April 2024). "У Беларусі фармуецца УНС. Топ-7 простых пытанняў пра новы дзяржаўны орган" [The ABPA is being formed in Belarus: Top 7 simple questions about the new state organ]. Belsat TV (in Belarusian). Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Вайтовіч і Ганчарык: Усебеларускі сход — фігавы лісток для ўлады Archived 2021-01-28 at the Wayback Machine [Vaytovich and Hancharyk: The All-Belarusian Assembly is a fig leaf for the government] - TUT.BY, 03.12.2010
- ^ Zarakhovich, Yuri (25 March 2006). "Belarus: 'They Knocked My Husband Down and Dragged Him Away'". Time. Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
- ^ a b Беларусам патрэбны сапраўдны парлямэнт, а не імітацыйны 'усенародны сход' Archived 2016-08-07 at the Wayback Machine - "Belarusians need a real parliament and not the imitational 'People's Assembly'", statement by BPF Party, 18.06.2016
- ^ Михаил Пастухов: О легитимности и пользе собрания - Mikhail Pastukhou (former Judge of the Constitutional Court of Belarus): About the legitimacy and the use of the congress - Official website of the United Civic Party of Belarus, 12.07.2016