Politics

The Republic of Belarus exercises supreme control and absolute authority over its territory and pursues its domestic and foreign policies in an independent manner.

The domestic policy of Belarus is based on the stability of constitutional order, guaranteed constitutional rights and freedoms for citizens, equality of all forms of property for the benefit of the individual and society, sustainable socio-economic development, consideration for geopolitical, socio-economic and natural features of the Republic of Belarus, social justice, interaction of legislative, executive and judicial branches of power for the benefit of the individual, society and the state.

The foreign policy of Belarus is guided by the principles of equality of states, non-use of force or the threat of force, inviolability of borders, peaceful settlement of disputes, non-interference in internal affairs and other universally recognized principles and norms of international law. The Republic of Belarus rules out military aggression from its territory in relation to other states.

The main vectors of domestic and foreign policies were approved by framework laws adopted by the Parliament. The current one is the Law of the Republic of Belarus No. 60-3 “On basic guidelines of the foreign and domestic policies” of 14 November 2005.

After the national referendum on amending and expanding the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus that took place on 27 February 2022, the main vectors of domestic and foreign policies, which, in accordance with the Fundamental Law, are developed by the government, shall be approved by the Belarusian People’s Congress.

The Head of State plays a special role in the implementation of the main guidelines of the state policy. Exercising authority granted to him, the President guarantees the implementation of the main guidelines of the domestic and foreign policies.

The main guidelines of the domestic and foreign policies are further developed and specified in the acts of the Head of State (decrees and executive orders). Decrees of a framework nature – Presidential Directives – are adopted for the most relevant areas of the state policy.

The Constitution provides for the President to deliver  the following addresses:

  • State of the Nation Address on the guidelines of the domestic and foreign policy;
  • annual Address to the Parliament at the sittings of the Belarusian People's Congress.

The main aspects of the domestic and foreign policies are directly implemented by the Government through the activities of both national-wide and local authorities.

Domestic policy

The principles of the domestic policy of the Republic of Belarus include:

  • stability of the constitutional system;
  • guarantee of the constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens;
  • equality of all forms of property for the benefit of the individual and the society;
  • sustainable socio-economic development;
  • consideration for geopolitical, socio-economic and natural features of the Republic of Belarus;
  • social justice;
  • interaction of legislative, executive and judicial branches of power for the benefit of the individual, the society and the state.

Strategic priorities of the domestic policy of the Republic of Belarus include:

  • protection of human rights and freedoms as well as their guaranteed implementation,
  • improvement of people's living standards,
  • development of a democratic welfare state based on the rule of law,
  • development of an efficient socially oriented market economy.

The main objectives of the domestic policy of the Republic of Belarus include:

  • protection of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Belarus;
  • protection of rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of citizens of the Republic of Belarus, foreign citizens and stateless persons, rights and legitimate interests of organizations, public and state interests;
  • implementation of a uniform fiscal, monetary and currency policy contributing to the financial stability of the national economy;
  • maintenance of inflation at a level that will not hinder efficient development of the domestic economy;
  • development of competitive sectors and branches of the domestic economy;
  • raising investment in the domestic economy;
  • industrial capacity building based on highly efficient, resource-saving, environmentally friendly technologies that ensure production of competitive goods (works, services);
  • promotion of innovations;
  • introduction of advanced technologies in production processes;
  • development of entrepreneurship, small and medium-sized businesses;
  • higher life expectancy and lower mortality rate;
  • optimization of migration processes;
  • sustainable employment of the population as well as greater efficiency of the workforce;
  • occupational safety and health of workers;
  • state support for low-income households;
  • creation of the conditions necessary for the formation of a spiritually rich and physically healthy individual and improvement of the living conditions;
  • improved access to medical care;
  • development of all forms and types of educational activities;
  • public access to the national and world cultural heritage kept in the state and public collections;
  • protection of citizens' rights to a healthy environment and sustainable use of natural resources;
  • prevention of and response to natural and man-made emergencies, protection of life and health of citizens, industrial and social facilities and environment from emergencies;
  • integrated and sustainable development of the regions;
  • protection of citizens' right to receive, keep and distribute complete, reliable and timely information under the legislation of the Republic of Belarus.

Foreign policy

The principles of the foreign policy of the Republic of Belarus include:

  • compliance with the universally recognized principles and norms of the international law;
  • proportionality of foreign policy objectives to the political and diplomatic, economic, defense, scientific and engineering, and intellectual potential of the state and improvement of the international standing of the Republic of Belarus and its international credibility;
  • improvement of the effectiveness of political, legislative, foreign economic and other instruments for the protection of the state sovereignty of the Republic of Belarus and its economy in the context of globalization;
  • development of comprehensive cooperation with foreign states, international organizations and supranational entities on the basis of universally recognized principles and norms of the international law and mutual consideration and respect for the interests of all members of the international community;
  • voluntary membership and participation in activities of international organizations and supranational entities;
  • commitment to a policy of consistent demilitarization of international relations;
  • absence of territorial claims to adjacent states, non-recognition of territorial claims to the Republic of Belarus.

Strategic priorities of the foreign policy of the Republic of Belarus include:

  • protection of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Belarus;
  • protection of rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of the individual, the society and the state.

The main objectives of the foreign policy of the Republic of Belarus include:

  • promotion of a stable, fair and democratic world order based on the universally recognized principles of the international law;
  • equitable integration of the Republic of Belarus into the international political, economic, scientific, cultural and information space;
  • improvement of people's living standards and development of political, economic, intellectual and spiritual potential of the state;
  • good-neighborly relations with the adjacent states;
  • protection of rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of citizens of the Republic of Belarus abroad;
  • promotion of national, cultural and other rights as well as protection of legitimate interests of Belarusians abroad;
  • promotion of international security, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and arms control;
  • greater international cooperation in the field of disaster management, environmental protection, information and humanitarian sectors;
  • attraction of external intellectual and scientific resources for the benefit of educational, scientific and cultural development of the Republic of Belarus;
  • international cooperation for promotion and protection of human rights.