Council of the Republic of Belarus
Encyclopedia
The Council of the Republic is the upper house
in Belarus
' bicameral parliament, the National Assembly. The Council comprises 64 members and the representation is based geographically, most of the elected members come from civil society organizations, labour collectives and public associations in their jurisdiction.
Special powers that accorded only to the Council of the Republic are:
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and the remaining members are elected by secret vote: eight members of the Council of the Republic are elected from each of the country's region and Minsk
City at sessions of local Soviets of Deputies of the basic level. A citizen of Belarus
aged 30 and more, who has lived on the territory of the respective region or Minsk City for at least five years may be a member of the Council of the Republic.
A criminal case in relation to a member of the Council of the Republic may be initiated only by the Prosecutor General of Belarus and considered by the Supreme Court of Belarus
.
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
in Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
' bicameral parliament, the National Assembly. The Council comprises 64 members and the representation is based geographically, most of the elected members come from civil society organizations, labour collectives and public associations in their jurisdiction.
Powers
Any Bill must be initially considered in the House of Representatives and then in the Council of the Republic. Bills adopted by the House of Representatives shall be sent to the Council of the Republic for consideration within five days, where they shall be considered within no more than twenty days.Special powers that accorded only to the Council of the Republic are:
- Approve the nomination by the President of chairman of the Constitutional Court
- Approve the nomination by the President of chairman and judges of the Supreme Court
- Approve the nomination by the President of Chairman and judges of the Supreme Economic Court
- Approve the nomination by the President of chairman of the Central Commission of Belarus on Elections and National Referendums
- Approve the nomination by the President of the Prosecutor General
- Approve the nomination by the President of chairman and members of the Board of the National Bank
- Elect six judges of the Constitutional Court
- Elect six members of the Central Commission of Belarus on Elections and National Referendums.
- Annul decisions of local Soviets of Deputies (parliaments) that are at variance with the country’s legislation
- Decide on dissolution of a local Soviet of Deputies in case it regularly or seriously violates the country’s laws and in other cases envisaged by law
- Consider decreeDecreeA decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state , according to certain procedures . It has the force of law...
s of the President on declaring the state of emergency, martial law, complete or partial mobilization, and within a maximum of three days after the decrees have been submitted take an appropriate decision.
Orders
Decisions taken by the Council of the Republic in the form of Orders . Orders shall be made on the condition that they voted for the majority of the whole Chamber, unless otherwise provided in the Belarusian ConstitutionConstitution of Belarus
The Constitution of the Republic of Belarus is the ultimate law of Belarus. Adopted in 1994, three years after the country declared its independence from the Soviet Union, this formal document establishes the framework of the Belarusian state and government and enumerates the rights and freedoms...
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Elections
The procedure of forming the Council of the Republic combines elements of election and appointment. Eight members of the Council of the Republic are appointed by the President of BelarusPresident of Belarus
The office of President of Belarus is the head of state of Belarus. The office was created in 1994 with the passing of the Constitution of Belarus by the Supreme Soviet. This replaced the office of Chairman of the Supreme Soviet as the head of state...
and the remaining members are elected by secret vote: eight members of the Council of the Republic are elected from each of the country's region and Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
City at sessions of local Soviets of Deputies of the basic level. A citizen of Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
aged 30 and more, who has lived on the territory of the respective region or Minsk City for at least five years may be a member of the Council of the Republic.
Presidium
The Presidium of the Council of the Republic is a permanently operating body of the Council of the Republic. The Presidium of the Council of the Republic comprises the Speaker of the Council of the Republic (head of the Presidium), his/her deputy and the chairpersons of the Standing Committees.Speakers of the Council of the Republic
- Pavel Shipuk January 13, 1997–December 19, 2000
- Alyaksandr Vaytovich December 19, 2000–July 28, 2003
- Henadz Navitski July 28, 2003–October 31, 2008
- Boris Batura October 31, 2008–May 20, 2010
- Anatoli Rubinov May 24, 2010–Present
Members
Members of the Council of the Republic enjoy parliamentary immunity when making statements or exercising their mandate except for cases when their statements are slanderous or insulting. During the whole term of their office members of the Council of the Republic may be arrested or otherwise deprived of their personal liberty only upon a prior consent of their chamber, except for cases when they commit high treason or other grave crime, or if they are caught flagrante delicto.A criminal case in relation to a member of the Council of the Republic may be initiated only by the Prosecutor General of Belarus and considered by the Supreme Court of Belarus
Supreme Court of Belarus
The Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus is the highest-tier court inside of Belarus and acts as the final "court of review." Its general tasks include the oversight of lower-tier courts and can render justice in areas of general civil and criminal law...
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