Belarus marks Constitution Day

The Supreme Council of Belarus adopted the Constitution 19 years ago, on March 15, 1994.

The country's main law was amended in the referendum on 24 November 1996 initiated by Lukashenka. Lukashenka used the referendum to start counting his 5-year term in office since 1996 thus adding 2 years to his term. The Supreme Council was dissolved and a puppet “national assembly” was elected.

Lukashenka also received the right to appoint six judges of the Constitutional Court and members of the Central Election Commission, BelaPAN reports.

The amendments reduced powers of the Constitutional Court: the range of agencies able to initiate decisions of the court was reduced. In according to the amendments, this right was given to the president, the government, the parliamentary houses, the Supreme Court and the Supreme Economic Court. The Constitution Court was deprived of the right to make decisions on own initiative.

Belarus held another referendum on October 17, 2004, that ended a two-term limit  for the presidency.

The amendments to the Constitution were initiated by Lukashenka to establish absolute power in the country.

“It was in fact a coup orchestrated by the referendum organisers in 1996,” a judge of the first composition of the Constitutional Court, Mikhail Pastukhou, is confident. “The Constitutional Court decided by a majority of votes that it was unacceptable to propose amendments to the Constitution, in fact a new constitution, to a mandatory referendum. It said that the results of the voting were only advisory. Nevertheless, Lukashenka didn't agree and released a decree to hold a mandatory referendum.”

Western countries and the Belarusian opposition didn't recognise the results of the referendums on amending the Constitution drawing attention to numerous violations and frauds.