"Everything must be democratic." Lukashenko discussed the formation of the Council of the Republic with Kochanova

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko discussed with Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly Natalya Kochanova the process of forming the new composition of the upper house of the Belarusian parliament, a BELTA correspondent reports.

"As for the House of Representatives (the lower house of the Belarusian parliament. - BELTA note), work is underway there on the issues of launching the new composition. The scope is large. All instructions have been given," Alexander Lukashenko noted.

The House of Representatives will primarily have to elect its leadership, the chairpersons of the commissions. The necessary organizational support will be provided, and then it is up to the parliamentarians themselves. "I want the deputies to decide for themselves how they will live and work," said the head of state.

The Council of the Republic, in turn, is a chamber of territorial representation. Its formation takes place as follows: eight members of the Council of the Republic are elected from each region and the city of Minsk at the meetings of local councils of deputies by secret ballot; another eight members of the Council of the Republic are appointed by the President of Belarus.

The nomination of candidates for membership in the Council of the Republic begins on March 12 and must take place no later than March 21. The elections to the Council of the Republic themselves are scheduled for April 4 of the current year.

"Everything must be very democratic. It must be honest. Not for reporting to someone. We have no one to report to except our people," the Belarusian leader emphasized. "It must be dignified, with no formalism. After all, this is an expert council - the upper house of parliament. Where laws, after being adopted by the House of Representatives, are studied again. Therefore, we need to carefully consider the proposed candidates who will be elected by the respective councils."

There are a total of five permanent commissions in the Council of the Republic. Alexander Lukashenko specifically emphasized the selection of candidates for their future leaders: "These five people, along with the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson (of the Council of the Republic. - BELTA note), will be the core of the upper house."

"I would like to know how this work is progressing (because it is already underway) and what problems exist. From the perspective of whether I need to get involved in any issues or not. We need to form a parliament, because its role is increasing. And these are members of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly. This is, in effect, the core there. This is very important for us," the head of state concluded.

Source: belta.by