Meeting with Chairperson of Council of Republic of Belarus’ National Assembly Natalya Kochanova

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Natalya Kochanova to discuss a range of important topics on 2 October.

One of the issues that the head of state touched upon was the lawmaking process during the work of the upper house of parliament of the current convocation. “Maybe there are any shortcomings that we should take into account after the elections in the future,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The second topic discussed was the activity of the Expert Council, which was established under the Council of the Republic for a comprehensive review of draft documents and assessment of possible consequences of their adoption. The discussion also focused on the expert and advisory council which examines topical aspects of the legislation and makes proposals for its further improvement.

The head of state was interested in the operation of the two structures, their positive and, perhaps, negative experience: “Is there anything wrong here? Hasn't this expert council become an appendage of some other governmental body?”

“We agreed that this would be an expert body to filter documents that are submitted to the president. This is very important for the system to stay balanced. So I thought that this council would come in handy. There should be no red tape there either. This should not be allowed under any circumstances,” Aleksandr Lukashenko warned.

The meeting also highlighted the work of the Council of the Republic with local councils of deputies. “We have agreed that the Council of the Republic will take local councils under its patronage. This is your area of responsibility,” the head of state said. “No one will do this job better than you, the Council of the Republic. How are things going here? What should be done in the future?” the president asked.

“The fourth topic, elections, is very important, too” the head of state continued. “I would ask you, first of all, the Belarus President Administration, if necessary, the Parliament (lower house) to get involved in the upcoming elections. After all, you are the commissioner for Minsk.”

“Minsk has always differed from the rest of the country. How are things going here?” Aleksandr Lukashenko asked. He recalled that it was necessary to examine the readiness of all the authorities for the upcoming elections and, if needed, to provide assistance to the Central Election Commission. “We need to help the Central Election Commission. We do not have any established administrative systems to deal with elections except for the Central Election Commission. The rest are on an amateur basis, so to speak,” the head of state explained. “This issue should be on your radar. You have the necessary experience.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko also paid special attention to the topic of community outreach activities. According to the Council of the Republic, during the session period senators held more than 200 phone call sessions, 360 remote office sessions (about half of them were onsite), with some 6,000 appeals considered.

“I can only thank all the senators for working to the full here. People appreciate it, people want to see the authorities, want to talk to representatives of the authorities. You have been performing this job quite well,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.