Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko enacted a package of legal amendments that update the framework governing parliamentary work, aligning the laws with revised constitutional norms and reflecting the presidential administration’s official communications.
Observers note potential shifts in executive influence. There is discussion that the president could maintain lifelong status on the Council of the Republic, the upper chamber of parliament, should he choose to authorize it. The Council of the Republic, in its role during any vacancy in the presidency, would assume the president’s powers as part of its duties when authorized.
The amendments also update the law concerning the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus. A single legislative session will run from September through June, replacing the prior arrangement of two sessions per year. Extraordinary sessions will be convened by departmental heads rather than directly by the president. The reforms preserve Parliament’s right to summon the Prosecutor General, the heads of the State Control Committee, and the Central Bank, and to take steps intended to strengthen local self-government.
Additionally, certain powers previously held by the parliament are set to be transferred to the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly. Among these transfers are the selection of judges for the Constitutional Court and members of the Central Election Commission, as well as the authority to approve broad policy directions for domestic and foreign affairs and to define military doctrine.
Earlier, in March 2022, Lukashenko signed a referendum decision that proposed constitutional changes, including revisions affecting the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly. The reform proposals envisioned elevating the Assembly to the most senior representative body of democracy and granting it a status as a constitutional organ. The package also suggested modifying nearly half of the legal provisions to reinforce the presidential form of governance, underscoring the central role of the presidency in the state’s constitutional structure.
Notes accompanying these changes emphasize a streamlining of legislative processes and a reallocation of certain oversight and policy-setting functions. Analysts highlight the ongoing balance between executive prerogatives and legislative authority, with particular attention to how the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly might influence key constitutional and electoral institutions in the years ahead.
In this evolving constitutional landscape, stakeholders are watching how the revised laws will shape the interaction between the presidency, parliament, and broader state institutions. The reforms appear aimed at clarifying procedural workflows, defining the scope of immediate leadership responsibilities, and reinforcing the centralized decision-making framework that characterizes the Belarusian political system. The long-term impact on local autonomy and national policy direction remains a central point of discussion among scholars, officials, and observers in Belarus and beyond.