Meeting with members of Constitutional Commission

The Constitution of Belarus, adopted 27 years ago, has become a symbol of a new era - a free, peaceful and stable life of the Belarusian people, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with members of the Constitutional Commission on 15 March.

Among the attendees of the meeting were the country's top officials, members of the House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic, representatives of local government, real and financial sectors of the economy, public associations, science and education, culture and sport.

Aleksandr Lukashenko said that the decision to set up the Constitutional Commission was made at the 6^th Belarusian People's Congress. According to him, it is noteworthy that it starts its work as the country celebrates Constitution Day. In this regard, the President once again extended Constitution Day greetings to the Belarusians and the participants of the meeting.

“With the basic law, we have passed the way of the formation of the first sovereign state on our land. The Constitution adopted 27 years ago has become a symbol of a new era, which is a free, peaceful, stable life of the Belarusian people,” said the head of state.

All these years the Belarusian state has been developing following the principles laid down in the Constitution, the President said. “We have achieved a lot, and life has often proved the rightness of the chosen path. Peace and order in our country, social harmony, which have been preserved despite numerous attempts of external forces to bring discord into our common home, have become the main indicators. Last year's events demonstrated the system's sustainability. This is nothing but the firmness of the stance and principles of the people who care about their country, people who have saved the country,” stressed Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The head of state said that the Constitution is certainly a very important document for the country. However, it is not just norms written down on paper, but also the position of the people who shape the public opinion which is important.

"Today, Belarusians have realized what they might lose: peaceful life and sovereignty. These are the main values that stand above both political and personal differences in our society,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed. "Time has again shown that the guarantor of these values are a strong government and the people who protect their way of life, their ancestral traditions."

The President urged to take into account all the lessons of the past, including the recent ones, while embarking on the amendments to the Constitution, which is a responsible and fateful step. "I have no doubt that each of you is aware of your role in this process. You will go down in history as co-authors of the amended Constitution. But most importantly, you take responsibility for the future of our country," the head of state said.

When the constitutional commission was being formed, the goal was to cover all walks of life and activities of the society in order to take into account, as much as possible, the interests and the voice of every Belarusian. Therefore, the commission features representatives of government bodies, legal science, public associations, various sectors of the economy and social sector.

"It is important that all of you are respected people with an active civic position who know the expectations of the part of society that you represent. Your merits are recognized by the people. I hope that together you will become an effective team and do your job at the highest professional level," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

“The activities of the constitutional commission should be transparent and open. The commission should take on board people’s initiatives, because the public should have confidence in the results of this work,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.

He noted that many proposals to amend the Constitution had already been submitted during public debate at dialogue platforms, as well as through the parliamentary dimension and during the preparations for the 6th Belarusian People’s Congress. “Therefore, the main task of the constitutional commission is to arrange a broad discussion of the proposed amendments to our fundamental law,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “The publicity and transparency of the process will be ensured by mass media, as well as through electronic communication. Make active use of these tools,” the head of state added.

At the same time, Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that the current Constitution has not exhausted itself. “With this Constitution we have established ourselves as a sovereign, rule-of-law, independent, welfare state, and after more than 25 years this document is absolutely relevant. By the way, a recent opinion poll has proved it,” the President said. Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled that, according to this large-scale opinion poll, more than 65% of those polled do not deem it necessary to amend the Constitution.

“Each norm of the fundamental law should serve the main purpose - to preserve the country for our children and grandchildren,” the Belarusian leader said.

According to him, when adjusting the Constitution, of course, one should take into account the best international practices. “However, our national interests, political and legal traditions should have the top priority,” Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out. “This is not the first time we are doing this work. We can make use of not only international practices, but also our own extensive constitutional experience,” the President added.