Opinions & Interviews

Belarusian MPs share expectations of State of the Nation Address

State of the Nation Address of the president to the Belarusian people and the National Assembly is the key event of the spring session of Parliament and the most important political event of the year in general. Traditionally, this will be a frank dialogue about the current situation and prospects of the country and a detailed analysis of the international situation. This year, the head of state, as the MP believe, will also address the most relevant themes for the country and the world. Members of parliament and senators shared their expectations with BelTA.

Chairman of the International Affairs and National Security Commission of the Council of the Republic Sergei Rakhmanov:

I think the president will talk about the development of cooperation with foreign partners. The president will make an emphasis, as I see it, on the economy, ways of strengthening relations, cultivating new contacts in order to promote diversification which is so important for the country’s economic development.

The president has repeatedly talked about the need for greater coordination between the executive and legislature branches of power, business, and experts community. I believe that certain instructions will be given to relevant agencies this time as well.

Vice Chairman of the Budget and Finance Commission of the House of Representatives Aleksandr Tsetsokho:

The president will address the issues of development in all areas: industry, finance, agriculture, education, healthcare, culture and so on. I believe that MPs will traditionally find guidelines for legislative activities. I am sure that the president will also touch upon the international situation, including developments in the neighboring countries.

Chairperson of the Legislation Commission of the House of Representatives Natalya Guyvik:

For me, as the head of the Legislation Commission, it is very important to hear the opinion of the head of state on the improvement of legislation, including amendments to the Constitution. The president touched upon the issue at the meeting with community leaders, experts, Belarusian and foreign media on 1 March. Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed the need to update the country’s basic law. I agree with him. Time does not stand still. The Constitution also needs updating. For instance, it contains the notion “Supreme Economic Court”, at a time when it ceased to exist five years ago. I do not rule out that the president will outline his position on the changes to the election system. We also expect to hear when the elections will take place in Belarus and which campaign will be held first.

I think the president will talk about IT development in the country. The latest technologies are implemented in all spheres of life. At the meeting to discuss the activity of general courts on 5 April, the head of state instructed to complete digitization of the court system by 1 September 2020. I am confident that the move will streamline the operation of courts.

Deputy Chairman of the Commission on Environment, Natural Resources and Chernobyl Nikolai Vasilkov:

MPs expect that the president will announce a program, an action plan for the near-term outlook in the economic, agricultural and social sectors, and talk about the areas of international activity, measures necessary for the further development of the country and enhancement of wellbeing of the Belarusians.

Member of the Economy, Budget and Finances Commission of the Council of the Republic Nikolai Martynov:

In my opinion, when speaking about the foreign policy of Belarus the head of state will highlight the relations with Russia and other partners. The Belarusian leader will take stock of the achievements in the ongoing five-year period. The head of state will also talk about industry modernization, new technologies, and the training of highly-qualified personnel. I think the president will touch upon the whole set of measures to ensure competitive ability of Belarusian products.

Svetlana Savko
BelTA

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