Early voting in the constitutional referendum has begun in Belarus

The main voting day in the referendum on changes to the Belarusian Constitution is 27 February, but according to official data, early voting usually attracts almost half of the country’s voters.

The opposition criticizes the practice of early voting because of the broad opportunities it creates for falsification, while the authorities speak of people’s desire not to burden themselves with going to the polling station on a weekend.
The head of the Political Sphere Institute, political scientist Andrei Kazakevich, agrees with Lebedko that the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly is “an exotic body, one that does not correspond to global practice, not only European practice.”
“But I do not entirely agree that Belarus remains a super-presidential republic.

The essence of all the changes is essentially reduced to one thing: functions are taken away from various state bodies and transferred to the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, a mysterious body whose method of election is not even clear; it is obvious that the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly will not be elected by the people, and its members will in fact be appointed.

Its main function is to secure and arrange a place for Lukashenka in the event of his departure from the presidency, as well as to create additional mechanisms that will make it possible to prevent democratic changes in the country, and indeed any changes at all,” said Andrei Kazakevich.

At the same time, certain restrictions are envisaged for a new president: “presidential edicts and decrees cease to have greater legal force than laws; the president ceases to influence the electoral process — he does not appoint the head of the Central Election Commission, and partially loses control over the judiciary.”
“These functions are transferred to the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, which will make decisions binding on the other bodies.

Parliament loses an important function — the possibility of initiating the president’s impeachment.

Parliament and the president are weakened, the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly is strengthened, and Lukashenka, who as the incumbent president will be permitted to combine the presidency with leadership of the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, receives the maximum concentration of powers,” the political scientist noted.

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