The Palace of Independence is the seat of the president of the Republic of Belarus. An archive photo
MINSK, 4 January (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has signed a law to overhaul the law “On the President of the Republic of Belarus” taking into account the constitutional amendments and the law enforcement practices (the previous amendments were made in 2006), BelTA learned from the press service of the head of state.
The amendments specify requirements for a presidential candidate. Thus, to be a president, one has to be a natural-born citizen of the Republic of Belarus, at least 40 years old, eligible to vote, permanently residing in Belarus for at least 20 years before the election, never having foreign citizenship, a residence permit, or other documents of a foreign state granting rights and benefits.
In line with the document, the president of Belarus runs the public administration system and is a delegate of the All-Belarus People’s Congress.
The powers of the head of state have also been specified. In particular, the president shall be able to submit proposals to the All-Belarus People’s Congress on the election of chairs, their deputies and judges of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court, the chair and members of the Central Election Commission, as well as proposals on the possibility of sending Belarus’ military personnel to foreign states to participate in missions to maintain collective security and international peace.
In addition to that, the document determines the status of the president of Belarus who has ceased to exercise powers.
