Bill on Council of Ministers receives first reading in Belarusian Parliament

MINSK, 14 December (BelTA) – The bill “On Amendments to the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus” passed the first reading at the sitting of the ninth session of the House of Representatives of the seventh convocation on 14 December, BelTA has learned.

The draft law was submitted to the House of Representatives by the Council of Ministers on 15 November 2022 following the instruction of the head of state. The bill brings the norms of the law “On the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus” in line with the amendments and additions to the Constitution adopted at the national referendum on 27 February 2022 and the practice of the government.

The main innovations are the appointment of the prime minister with the prior consent of the House of Representatives, regulation of the interaction between the Council of Ministers and the Belarusian People's Congress, and exclusion of the prime minister's authority to perform the duties of the president in case of the vacancy of this post.

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Innovations are also include the powers of the Council of Ministers to draft and submit to the House of Representatives, by agreement with the head of state, draft laws on the national budget and on approval of the report on its execution, as well as to give opinions when submitting to the House of Representatives draft laws which may result in reducing public funds, creating or increasing spending.

It establishes the authority of the government to submit proposals to the Constitutional Court for an opinion on the interpretation of the Constitution and on the check of the constitutionality of normative legal acts, the authority of the Council of Ministers to submit proposals to the head of state to cancel decisions of local executive and administrative bodies in case they do not comply with legislation, the powers of the government in various fields of activity, the legal status of the Office of the Council of Ministers as a state body, the inclusion in the Presidium of the Council of Ministers.

The draft law was submitted to all standing committees of the House of Representatives and to the Main Legal Department of the Secretariat of the House of Representatives. No conceptual comments and proposals have been received.

The bill complies with the Constitution, acts of the President, laws and international treaties of the Republic of Belarus, and is compatible with the legislation.