Events

Kushnarenko elected member of Presidium of Belarusian People's Congress

Aleksei Kushnarenko

MINSK, 19 December (BelTA) – Chairman of the Minsk Oblast Council of Deputies Aleksei Kushnarenko was elected member of the Presidium of the Belarusian People’s Congress. The results of the corresponding secret ballot among delegates were announced at the session of the Belarusian People's Congress on 19 December, BelTA has learned.

The need to elect a new member to the Presidium arose in the spring of this year following personnel changes in the government as Konstantin Burak was appointed as Assistant to the President - Inspector for Grodno Oblast, thereby losing his status as a delegate of the Belarusian People's Congress and a member of the Presidium.

The Presidium of the Belarusian People's Congress is a permanent collective body accountable to the Congress and responsible for the prompt resolution of matters within the purview of the Congress. The members of the Presidium include the Chairman of the Congress and his deputies. Other members of the Presidium are elected from among the delegates of the Congress. The maximum number of members of the Presidium of the Belarusian People's Congress is 15.

In accordance with the law on the Belarusian People's Congress, members of the Presidium are elected by secret ballot. The time, place, and procedure for the secret ballot were explained by Inna Medvedeva, Chairperson of the Vote Counting Commission of the Belarusian People's Congress.

“We must absolutely conduct the secret ballot in accordance with our democracy. I am already being criticized for this. But what does it have to do with me? After all, it was you who made the decision that all members of the Presidium of the Belarusian People's Congress are elected by secret ballot. Many now, even Aleksandr Kosinets [Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian People's Congress] says that this could also be done by open vote,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “So it turns out that we elect members of the Presidium by secret ballot and judges of the Supreme and Constitutional Courts by open vote. Therefore, we will review this, revisit this law once more. Adjustments are needed so that we use time efficiently, to somehow equalize and balance the situation.”

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