National Assembly of Belarus

The National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Нацыянальны сход Рэспублікі Беларусь, Nacyjanalny schod Respubliki Biełaruś; Russian: Национальное собрание Республики Беларусь, Natsionalnoye sobran'ye Respubliki Belarus) is the bicameral parliament of Belarus. The two chambers of the National Assembly are:

National Assembly of Belarus

Нацыянальны сход Рэспублікі Беларусь
Национальное собрание Республики Беларусь
National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus
Type
Type
HousesCouncil of the Republic
House of Representatives
History
Founded11 November 1996
Preceded bySupreme Soviet of Belarus
Structure
Seats174 members
110 representatives
64 councilors
Council of the Republic political groups
Government (64)
  Independents (46)
  Communist Party of Belarus (17)
  Liberal Democratic Party (1)
House of Representatives political groups
Government (110)
  Independents (89)

(Belaya Rus, 68 MPs)

  Communist Party of Belarus (11)
  Republican Party of Labour and Justice (6)
  Belarusian Patriotic Party (2)
  Agrarian Party (1)
  Liberal Democratic Party (1)
Elections
Council of the Republic voting system
Indirect election by regional assemblies, Appointment by the President of the Republic
House of Representatives voting system
First-past-the-post
House of Representatives last election
17 November 2019
Meeting place
Government House, Minsk
Website
www.house.gov.by
www.sovrep.gov.by
Belarus
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While each chamber has specific duties, both chambers have the ability to veto the decrees of local administrations that deviate from the Constitution of Belarus.

The chambers of the National Assembly are convened to two regular sessions every year: the first session opens 2 October and its duration cannot be more than 80 days; the second session opens 2 April and does not last more than 90 days.

The House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic may be convened to an extraordinary session. Extraordinary sessions are convened under a particular agenda upon an initiative of the President or upon a request of at least two-thirds majority of the full membership of each of the chambers.[1]

Any bill must be initially considered in the House of Representatives and then in the Council of the Republic.

In practice, the National Assembly has little real power. The Belarusian political system concentrates nearly all governing power in the hands of President Alexander Lukashenko. Notably, the National Assembly has little control over government spending; according to the Constitution, any bill that impacts the state budget must be approved by the president or the government before being considered. Presidential decrees have greater weight than ordinary legislation. However, since it took its current form in 1996, the National Assembly has been dominated by Lukashenko's supporters in any event, and there is no substantive opposition to presidential decisions.[2]

Its predecessor was the Supreme Council of Belarus (until 1996).

Sources
  1. "Парламент – Национальное собрание Республики Беларусь". www.pravo.by. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  2. "Why Does Europe Engage With Belarus's Rubber Stamp Parliament?". Archived from the original on 2017-07-26. Retrieved 2016-08-25.
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