The Constitution of the Republic of Belarus of 1994 with all amendments and additions adopted at the nationwide referendums on November 24, 1996, and October 17, 2004, is the core of the state legal system, the basis of all the legislation.

In conformity with the Constitution, the Republic of Belarus is a unitary democratic social law-governed state, with its citizens being the only source of state power and the bearer of its sovereignty. The people exercise their power directly through the Parliament, Councils of Deputies and other bodies formed by them by means of local self-government.

The democratic foundations of the Belarusian statehood provide for various political institutions, ideologies and views. Equal rights are guaranteed for all.

What the law prohibits is the political parties and other public associations which aim for changing the constitutional system by means of violence, or propagating war, including war based on social, ethnic, religious or racial grounds.

The Constitution provides for a multitude of forms of property. The state guarantees equal protection and equal conditions for developing both state-owned and privately-owned property, provides guidelines for and co-ordinates the development of these forms of economic activity in keeping with the interests of an individual and society.

The Constitution of the Republic of Belarus recognizes and guarantees unalienable rights of an individual. The State secures the legal status of an individual, which conforms to the universally acknowledged principles and norms of international law.

The President of the Republic of Belarus is the Head of State, the guarantor of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, the rights and liberties of man and citizen. The President’s responsibility is to take measures aimed at protecting the sovereignty of the State, its national security and territorial integrity. One of the main functions vested with the President is to ensure economic and political stability in the State.

The Head of State ensures continuity and interaction of the bodies of state administration, maintains intermediation among them. The President has the right of legislative initiative. The President issues decrees, ordinances and instructions that have binding force in the entire territory of the Republic of Belarus.

Any citizen of the Republic of Belarus by birth at least 35 years of age who is eligible to vote and has been resident in the Republic of Belarus for at least ten years before the elections may be elected President.

The incumbent President of the Republic of Belarus is Alexander Grigorievich Lukashenko. On March 19, 2006 he was reelected to the post for the third time.

Parliament. The National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus is a representative and legislative body. It consists of two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic.

The House of Representatives consists of 110 deputies who are elected in their respective constituencies and represent the interests of citizens.

The Council of the Republic is the chamber of territorial representation. The Council of the Republic consists of eight deputies from every oblast and the city of Minsk, who are elected by secret vote at meetings of deputies of local base-level Councils of Deputies. Eight members of the Council of the

Republic are appointed by the President of the Republic of Belarus. Any citizen of the Republic of Belarus who has reached the age of 21 may become a deputy of the House of Representatives. Any citizen of the Republic of Belarus who has reached the age of 30, and who has been resident in the respective region or the city of Minsk no less than five years may become a member of the

Council of the Republic. The deputies of the parliament of the current, fourth, convocation were elected in 2008.

Government – the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus – is the central body of state administration in Belarus. Under the Constitution the Council of Ministers exercises executive power in Belarus, governs the system of state and executive bodies subordinate to it. In its activity, the government is answerable to the President and accountable to the Parliament.

The Council of Ministers has the right to put forward legislative initiatives.

Judicial system. Under the Constitution, the judicial power in Belarus belongs to courts. The system of courts is based on the principles of territorial delineation and specialization. The judicial branch of power includes the Constitutional Court and a system of economic courts and courts of general jurisdiction. The Constitutional Court supervises the conformity of enforceable enactments to the Constitution.

Local government and self-government. Citizens exercise local government and self-government through local Councils of Deputies, bodies of public territorial self-government, local referenda, assemblies and other forms of direct participation in state and public affairs. Local Councils of Deputies are representative bodies of state authorities in the respective administrative territorial units.