Report of Chairman of House of Representatives of National Assembly of Belarus Igor Sergeyenko

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Igor Sergeyenko to receive his report on 9 September.

“Work at international level needs to receive a boost. After all, people's diplomacy, which should be led by MPs, is very important today. It bears its fruit. You can see it in the work of our senators [members of the Council of the Republic, the upper chamber of the Belarusian parliament]. Of course, there are much fewer of them. I think the House of Representatives should act in this direction as well. How do you think we should build our work here?” the head of state said outlining one of the topics of the meeting.

Aleksandr Lukashenko was also interested in the MPs’ lawmaking activities: “How are things going here? Do you need any help and support? Many MPs have been elected for the first time. They have no parliamentary experience. Are there any problems here?”

The President also asked about the work of the Council of the House of Representatives and whether various everyday issues of the people's elected representatives had been resolved. “How does the structure that provides accommodation work? How do the MPs live? Housing has been built where MPs can live during their mission. Does everyone have enough space for living?Are there any problems?” the Belarusian leader asked.

He also asked about Igor Sergeyenko’s view of the MPs’ work in the future.

Aleksandr Lukashenko also asked Igor Sergeyenko how he was doing in his new position. The head of state noted that the current chairman of the House of Representatives had undergone dramatic changes in his career in recent years. “First, a completely secret, quiet job, then the most challengingwork in the Belarus President Administration [Igor Sergeyenko previously worked in the KGB system, and after that headed the Belarus President Administration for several years before being elected to the House of Representatives], and finally the House of Representatives. Dramatic changes in lige that any person will feel it to the fullest. How are you doing in your new post? How does the House of Representatives operate? Do all the organs and systems of our House of Representatives function properly?” the head of state asked a number of questions.

According to Igor Sergeyenko, the new House of Representatives has been for five months already. According to him, all organizational issues that were raised, including by the head of state, have been resolved. This applies to the organization of every MP’s work, equipment of their workplaces, and also accommodation. “All MPs live and work in decent conditions today,” the speaker of the House of Representatives said.

Speaking of the current deputy corps, Igor Sergeyenko informed the President that the composition has been largely renewed, with 20 MPs re-elected from the previous convocation and 90 MPs elected for the first time. “They are with different work experience, with different levels and legal training, and with different approaches in general. They are all patriots, and work for the benefit of the country,” the speaker of the lower house of parliament emphasized. He added that among the MPs there were 73 men and 37 women. 75 MPs have managerial experience, including the work with labor collectives, 10 - have academic degrees and titles, 70 - represent political parties. According to Igor Sergeyenko, such analytical statistics show that the House of Representatives comprise “authoritative people”, representing in parliament the interests of the regions from which they have been elected.