Council of the Republic (Belarus)

53°53′46″N 27°32′41.2″E / 53.89611°N 27.544778°E / 53.89611; 27.544778

Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus

Савет Рэспублікі Нацыянальнага сходу Рэспублікі Беларусі
Совет Республики Национального собрания Республики Беларусь
8th Council of the Republic of Belarus
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
History
Founded1996
Preceded bySupreme Soviet of Belarus
Leadership
Speaker
Natalya Kochanova, Belaya Rus
since 6 December 2019
Deputy Speaker
Sergei Khomenko, Belaya Rus
since 11 April 2024
Structure
Seats64
Political groups
Government (63)
  •   Belaya Rus (46)
  •   Communist Party (17)

Support (1)

Elections
Last election
4 April 2024[1]
Meeting place
Government House, Minsk
Website
http://www.sovrep.gov.by/

The Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Савет Рэспублікі Нацыянальнага сходу Рэспублікі Беларусь; Russian: Совет Республики Национального собрания Республики Беларусь) is the upper house of the parliament of Belarus.

History

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It was established after the Constitution of Belarus was amended in 1996 following a referendum, replacing the Supreme Council of Belarus.[2]

Composition

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Qualifications

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To be elected to the Council, an individual must be at least 30 years of age, a citizen of the republic and of no other country, have residency in an oblast or the Minsk City for at least 5 years, and have no criminal record.[3]

Election

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The Council consists of 64 members, and the representation is based geographically, with each oblast (six) and the city of Minsk (the national capital) represented by eight members, and an additional eight members are appointed to the Council via presidential quota. Elections are indirect, with members being elected by the deputies of the popularly elected regional councils of deputies by secret ballot in a two-round system if necessary.[3] A candidate must receive the votes of over 50% of the deputies seated to be elected.[3]

Speakers of the Council of the Republic

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Name Entered office Left office
Pavel Shipuk [be; ru] January 13, 1997 December 19, 2000
Alexander Voitovich [be; ru] December 19, 2000 July 28, 2003
Gennady Novitsky July 28, 2003 October 31, 2008
Boris Batura [be; ru] October 31, 2008 May 24, 2010
Anatoli Rubinov May 24, 2010 December 2014
Mikhail Myasnikovich[4] December 27, 2014 December, 2019
Natalya Kochanova[5] December, 2019 Present

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "CEC head comments on elections of members to upper house of Belarusian Parliament". 8 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Республика Беларусь". Archived from the original on 2020-05-13. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  3. ^ a b c "Elections of Members of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus". Belarus.by. Belarusian Telegraph Agency. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Belarus former prime minister to lead upper house of parliament". TASS. 27 December 2014. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  5. ^ "New Belarusian senate speaker elected". Archived from the original on 2019-12-28. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
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