The Belarusian People’s Congress has very specific powers and does not duplicate the functions of other government bodies, Irina Dovgalo, a member of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, said in a new episode of the V Teme [On Point] project on BelTA’s YouTube channel.
She recalled that after the referendum on amendments and additions to the Constitution, the Belarusian People's Congress acquired constitutional status, becoming the highest representative body of people’s power. Since then, the decisions of the Congress have become mandatory.
“Even back then, the head of state spoke about how important it is for the Congress not to duplicate the functions of the president, the government, the parliament, or local government bodies. This needs to be clearly and precisely balanced,” said Irina Dovgalo.
Thus, she noted, a portion of the powers from the head of state was transferred to the Belarusian People’s Congress. “Let’s be honest: this will at least lighten the load on the head of state a little. Because the burden that the president carries is simply an inhuman workload. Therefore, this division was very important. And when the amendments and additions to the Constitution, which we approved in the referendum, were made, these powers were clearly outlined. So there will be no overlap,” she emphasized.
Irina Dovgalo also recalled that Belarusian President, Chairman of the Belarusian People’s Congress Aleksandr Lukashenko, at the meeting of the Congress’s Presidium on 25 November, named the greatest future danger for the Congress. It was about the Congress not coming into conflict with the head of state. She believes that the Congress’s delegates made a balanced and wise decision by electing the Belarusian president as the Chairman of the Congress. “I think there will be neither conflict nor overlap of powers here,” she added.
