Miklashevich: Updated Constitution strengthens foundations of Belarusian society, state

On 13 March, the National Library hosted a presentation of the theoretical and practical commentary to the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. It was prepared in pursuance of the instruction of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko of 1 April 2022 to clarify the constitutional and legal meaning and content of constitutional principles and norms, to ensure proper understanding and strict compliance with the Constitution. 

"It is symbolic that the National Library hosted the meetings of the Constitutional Commission from March to September 2021 to discuss the specific proposals for amendments and additions to the Constitution. The updated Constitution of the Republic of Belarus which was adopted at the referendum in 2022 strengthened the constitutional foundations of the structure of society and the state, determined the guidelines for further constitutional development," Piotr Miklashevich said.

The constitutional provisions are currently being implemented. "New laws develop the principles and norms of the Constitution; representative bodies of power are elected on the updated constitutional basis. For the Constitution to be fully effective and alive, it is important that citizens, officials, all subjects of constitutional relations have a conscious perception of constitutional values, principles and norms, an understanding of the fundamental importance of constitutional provisions for the sustainable, dynamic development of the country, security and well-being of our citizens," he said.

"The team of authors has done a lot of work to explain the normative and semantic content of the constitutional provisions, to show their systemic interconnection and regulatory impact on the processes taking place in society and the state," Piotr Miklashevich added.

The chairman of the Constitutional Court expressed confidence that the theoretical and practical commentary to the Constitution will be widely used by government bodies, other organizations, educational institutions and labor collectives for the development of constitutional thinking, raising the legal awareness, understanding and strict observance of the Basic Law of the country.

The theoretical and practical commentary was prepared under the general editorship of Chairman of the Constitutional Court Piotr Miklashevich, Deputy Head of the Belarus President Administration Olga Chupris, Head of the Constitutional Law Chair of the Law Department at Belarusian State University Grigory Vasilevich. The team of authors includes highly qualified lawyers, including judges of the Constitutional Court. 

The commentary will be used to explain the provisions of the Constitution in labor collectives, educational institutions, among all segments of the population in order to cultivate a respectful attitude to the Basic Law of the country, to raise awareness of their constitutional rights, freedoms and obligations and to promote the understanding of the importance to strictly observe the constitutional norms in daily life and professional activities.