MINSK, 15 March (BelTA) – Belarus’ Constitution of 1994 was written in tumultuous circumstances. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement during a meeting timed to the 30th anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, BelTA has learned.
The president remarked that this document had been passed by the Supreme Council and had borrowed practices from the world’s leading countries. “Back then we were chasing after the world’s leading countries while copying them. Decades later we realized that we hadn’t had to chase after them. We saw the true face of these countries, their genuine ‘democracy’. Only a blind man cannot see it,” the Belarusian leader remarked.
The document also stipulated the most important attributes of the democratic form of government such as separation of powers, the reign of law in the operation of government bodies, additional guarantees for the realization of human rights and freedoms. “While abiding by the Basic Law, we built a balanced and effective power vertical virtually from scratch. Not right away. Not without emotions. And not without attempts of foreign ‘helpers’ to take the process under control,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “If we talk about the Constitution today, we see a document that reflects our national interests. But that’s today.”
The head of state recalled what was going on in the streets and in corridors of power when novelties of the 1994 Constitution were being written and discussed: “Tussle for government jobs was also in progress. Think about it. A parliamentary republic. There is no country yet. I mean there is no national development ideology. No goals of this development have been identified. There is no government system. Mechanisms of interaction of various bodies have not been worked out. And 360 members of the parliament for all intents and purposes rule the country in these conditions. The responsibility was absolutely diluted. I saw it from the inside.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out that back then convenient conditions had been created for Western companies to privatize national treasures. “The country was in chaos. Belarusians didn’t have time yet to think about national interests, about the essence of sovereignty. People didn’t think in those terms yet. Some thought about ways to feed their kids. Others thought about preserving their jobs,” the president said.
