MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/. Belarus is considering the idea of extending the parliamentary term from four to five years, Chairman of the Belarusian Constitutional Commission for drawing up proposals on amending the key law Pyotr Miklashevich announced on Wednesday.
"There are proposals to increase the parliament’s term of powers from four to five years. And to change the procedure of holding the parliament’s sessions - one session from September to June during the year," Miklashevich told reporters on Wednesday after the ninth meeting of the Constitutional Commission, BelTA news agency reported.
Besides, there are also plans to specify in the Constitution that marriage is "a union between a man and a woman" and "preserve traditional values of family and marriage."
On March 16, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree on setting up the Constitutional Commission consisting of 36 members, which will work out amendments to the key law. The Commission is due to present its groundwork to the head of state by August 1. According to the latest report, this effort will be completed by July 22.
Last week, the final proposals of the Constitutional Commission on the draft key law were published. According to the document, the president will be elected for five years directly by Belarusians on the basis of universal and equal suffrage with voting by secret ballot. The document said that one person cannot serve as president for more than two terms. The Constitution also suggests introducing the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, which will be a constitutional body and will solve the issues on the legitimacy of polls and impeaching the president.
At the next stage, competent state bodies led by the president will continue working on the proposed constitutional amendments, which are expected to be put up for the republic’s referendum by early 2022.