News & Events in Belarus
Two drafts, no consensus: Lukashenko reviews new five-year plan
MINSK, 10 November (BelTA) –There are two drafts of the Social and Economic Development Program of Belarus for 2026-2030, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said a meeting to discuss the finalization of the relevant program in Minsk on 10 November, BelTA has learned.
The Council of Ministers, in conjunction with relevant bodies, has presented a draft five-year program containing five priorities. "Furthermore, as the government reports, it is elaborated upon and specified in the corresponding state program projects, regional plans, and targets,” the head of state noted.
“However, as the saying goes, one head is good, but two are better. The delegates of the Belarusian People's Congress expressed a desire to actively participate in the finalization of the document. I supported this initiative and instructed to involve our leading economists and people who will voice their opinions in this work. A working group comprising delegates with significant experience and competence in various fields has been put together. It is headed by the chairman of the Board of the National Bank, former prime minister [Roman Golovchenko],” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
As it was reported to the head of state, the working group, in cooperation with the government, has made up an updated draft of the program, now consisting of eight priorities.
Aleksandr Lukashenko raised a number of questions regarding the updated version.
About the substance of the sections
The head of state noted that the proposed indicators (targets) represent a kind of commitment to the people. Therefore, they must be backed by concrete actions (tasks) and, most importantly, by funding.
About justification and interconnectedness of quantified targets
“For example, there is a substantial migration increase (we even entered the figure of 100,000 people in some place). Does this mean that we are unable to develop our internal labor potential and distribute productive forces evenly across the country? This needs to be done. We must start, as I have said many times, with housing. We need to build housing where it is needed for the economy,” the head of state said.
“Moreover, what categories of migrants are we talking about? I remind you that we have adopted very strict legislation on attracting them to the country. Our people demanded this, promising that labor productivity would be much higher,| Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
“However, I will tell you frankly, after flying over half the country during this holiday break, I saw that our people know how to work. Even in Gomel Oblast (I don't want to overpraise Ivan Krupko), there is nothing to criticize,” the president noted. “Since we have focused on Polesie, we must bring it into proper condition, up to par with the best farms in the region. Local people work quite well. This shows that they have understood that it's better to work on a tractor than to fight, as in neighboring Ukraine. But we need to fine-tune things there.”The president recalled that at the recent meeting on the 2026 development forecast he said that if someone proposes more ambitious targets, he is for it. “But you must competently justify the approaches. It can't just be: 'Look, this is too low, let's aim higher!' Everything must be justified and calculated financially. However, we also cannot set the bar too low,” the head of state instructed.
About defense capability as a priority of the draft program
Aleksandr Lukashenko stated that, despite its extreme importance, this topic has its own specific nature and pertains to military policy, strategy, and defense: “Essentially, it is about the necessary security framework that ensures the country's peaceful and stable social and economic development.”
“People will find it difficult to think about the economy if they don't feel military strength behind them. There is a logic to this in connection with the events unfolding beyond our borders. However, it must be noted that this is a separate issue: an issue of national security, which we have already examined,” the Belarusian leader noted.
About the lack of consensus
Aleksandr Lukashenko highlighted this as an important point, stating that there is no consensus between the working group and the government.
“As a result, there are now two versions of the program on my desk. The Council of Ministers reports that it has incorporated all the new and useful proposals from the group into its version. Its content is 90% the same, only the form is different. This is the government's view,” the president said. “In turn, the National Bank (the core of this working group is composed of National Bank specialists) insists that it is prepared to align its draft with the government’s one only based on its own version of the document.”
“On one hand, it's good that there are several opinions regarding the document as a whole. On the other hand, we must arrive at a single version. We can't present two documents to the Belarusian People's Congress and demand from the delegates: 'Come on, give us your opinion!'. They will give it, and we'll sit for a week, listening... Perhaps they will gather in the regions and develop a unified position. But still, it is desirable to have a single program. People need a realistic, concrete document that is understandable not only to every delegate but to every citizen of our country,” the head of state emphasized.
A series of preparatory activities and discussions have already been conducted, and platforms for collecting public proposals were launched. 70,000 responses have been received. “Therefore, we must answer the question of how Belarusians see themselves and what kind of country Belarusians see their country as,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
It is planned that, following the meeting and taking into account the general consensus, the government will finalize the draft program to present it for consideration of the Belarusian People's Congress.
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