Belarus parliament elections

MINSK, 13 October (BelTA) – Boleslav Pirshtuk has been elected Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, BelTA has learned.

Boleslav Pirshtuk’s candidacy proposed by Speaker of the House of Representatives Vladimir Andreichenko was supported by 105 out of 109 votes at the session on 13 October. No alternative candidacies were proposed for the post.

When addressing the MPs, Boleslav Pirshtuk stated that he understands very well that the post of the Vice Speaker is not a privilege but high responsibility. “The main thing for us is to get involved in the lawmaking activity as soon as possible. It is important not only to take timely decisions but also pay attention to the quality of laws and openness of the legislative process,” he believes.

According to the Vice Speaker, the parliament has developed an efficient system of legislative activity. “We should ensure continuity in lawmaking and start considering the bills that have been submitted to the House of Representatives. We need close cooperation between permanent commissions and relevant ministries and organizations,” he said.

The Vice Speaker emphasized that he believes it is important to preserve the current level of cooperation the House of Representatives maintains with the Presidential Administration, Government, the Council of the Republic, the National Center of Legislation and Legal Research of Belarus and other government bodies. In his words, this cooperation helps take quality viable decisions that work both for the national economy and the key social sectors. In order to secure openness and transparency of the parliamentary process it is vital to continue the process of public consultations on the country’s most important matters. “Parliamentary hearings, sessions of permanent commissions, roundtable meetings, conferences and other events will remain the major part of the parliamentary activity,” he noted.

Boleslav Pirshtuk was born in Lyakhovichi District, Brest Oblast on 30 January 1959. He graduated from Belarusian Polytechnic Institute in 1981 and the Academy of Management under the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus in 1993. Boleslav Pirshtuk served as First Deputy Chairman of the Svetlogorsk City Executive Committee in 1995-1997 and Chairman of the Svetlogorsk City Executive Committee in 1997-2002, Chairman of the Svetlogorsk District Executive Committee in 2002-2007. Boleslav Pirshtuk was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee in 2007. In 2010 he received the title of the Honorary Citizen of Svetlogorsk. Boleslav Pirshtuk has been elected MP from Gomel Oblast.