First All-Belarusian People's Assembly to be convened in April 2024 - presidential official

MINSK. Feb 9 (Interfax) - The All-Belarusian People's Assembly will hold its inaugural meeting at the end of April 2024, Olga Chupris, deputy head of the Belarusian presidential office, said on Thursday.

"The first All-Belarusian People's Assembly is supposed to be convened at the end of April 2024 in line with the rules stipulated in the constitution and the law on the All-Belarusian People's Assembly," the state news agency BelTA quoted Chupris as saying.

President Alexander Lukashenko signed into law the bill On the All-Belarusian People's Assembly on Tuesday. The document defines the Assembly's legal status as "the supreme representative body of the people's power."

The law lists among the Assembly's delegates the incumbent president, a president who has ended performing their duties, representatives of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, local councils of deputies, and civil society members.

"The Assembly is not entitled to substitute for other government bodies, perform their functions, or intervene in their activities," the presidential press service said earlier.

The Assembly's purview has been determined in line with the constitution. In particular, it shall be entitled to remove the president from office, elect a head and members of the Central Election Commission, the Constitutional and Supreme Courts, impose a state of emergency or martial law, consider proposals on sending Belarusian troops abroad to promote collective security or perform peacekeeping missions, and submit proposals to the president on holding referendums.

The All-Belarusian People's Assembly shall be convened at least once a year, and its presidium at least once every six months.

"The implementation of the law will provide a new incentive to state development. The All-Belarusian People's Assembly based on democratic principles will perform a stabilizing and a consolidating function in society," it said.

Amendments to the Belarusian constitution adopted at a referendum in February 2022 expanded the All-Belarusian People's Assembly's powers.