People’s property won’t be sold to people

Alyaksandr Lukashenka imposed a ban on stock sale of 151v big enterprises of the country for Property vouchers. A decree was signed on November 10.

According to decree #605, shares of 151 enterprises will not be accompanied by the selling of their shares on privileged terms for cash assets or their exchange for Property personal privatization vouchers.

This document sets out a list of biggest enterprises of Belarus, owned by the state.

As Iryna Barkouskaya, head of department of reforming state property of the State Property Fund, commented to BelaPAN that decree #605 proposed changes to adopted edict #3, according to which up to 50 per cent of shares, owned by the state in open joint stock companies, can be exchanged for Property vouchers or be sold on privileged terms.

Economist Leanid Zlotnikau told in an interview to BelaPAN that this ban was a step backward of the liberal reforms.

“After a process of privatisation, a small number of owners consolidate shares, and people can’t own them,” the economist stressed.