Belarus not to merge parliament chambers into one
MINSK. May 14 (Interfax) - The Belarusian Constitutional Commission has not supported the proposal to merge the two parliament chambers into one, commission member, Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Valery Mitskevich said.
"True, there have been numerous proposals aimed to merge the two chambers into one, i.e. to create a unicameral parliament, and to increase the number of deputies to 150, 180, 260, etc. However, the country has developed certain traditions and mechanisms of interaction between the authorities, including parliament chambers, over a certain period of its development. Therefore, it is proposed to stick to the time-tested positive practices and to preserve the bicameral parliament," Mitskevich told reporters on Friday.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said at the all-Belarusian People's Assembly that a new constitution would be drafted within a year, and the draft might be put to referendum at the beginning of next year. The president also said that the referendum might be combined with local elections.
Lukashenko signed an order establishing the Constitutional Commission in mid-March in fulfillment of the resolution of the all-Belarusian People's Assembly. The commission was due to propose constitutional amendments and to ensure their nationwide discussion.
The commission will submit its proposals to the president before August 1, so that they could be put to referendum. The commission has 36 members and is led by Belarusian Constitutional Court Chairman Pyotr Miklashevich.
