Belarusian People's Congress Time Chose Us!

Milestones Belarusian People's Congress

The Belarusian People's Congress as a unique phenomenon of the political system of sovereign Belarus is a modern interpretation and development of the ideas of people's self-government rooted in the past of our land. These ideas are based on the mechanisms of people's power that existed both in the remote antiquity (people's veche in the princedoms of Ancient Rus) and in the recent history (the First Belarusian Congress of 1917, the People's Congress of Western Belarus in 1939).

Prior to the constitutional reform of 2022, the Belarusian People's Congress served as a national forum, allowing citizens to realize their constitutional right to participate in the discussion of the most important matters of state and public life.

In its sovereign history the country held six Belarusian People's Congresses in this format: in 1996, 2001, 2006, 2010, 2016 and 2021.

During this time, the congress established itself as an institution of true democracy, a special form of people's power, allowing citizens to more widely realize their right to participate in the governance of the state and society, to map out the guidelines of the country's development.

The national forums brought together delegates from all over the country: representatives of all branches of government, economic sectors and enterprises of all forms of ownership, all social strata and groups of society. The congresses were attended by heads of enterprises and ordinary workers, farmers, scientific and engineering personnel and representatives of the social and cultural sectors, MPs, servicemen, entrepreneurs and students, pensioners and representatives of political parties and public associations.

Most respected and active members of labor collectives were nominated and elected as delegates to the Congress by enterprises and public associations.

The heads of the supreme government bodies, representatives of the diplomatic corps, Belarusian diasporas, international and foreign organizations were traditionally invited to attend the Belarusian People's Congress.

In this format, the Belarusian People's Congress was held every five years. Each forum was preceded by a long preparation and followed by many-month discussions of its outcomes. This helped to identify public opinion, to vitalize comprehensive discussion of the country's achievements and problems, and to generate the initiatives concerning the further development strategy of society and the state.

The decisions adopted by the congresses were of an advisory nature.

The first Belarusian People's Congress

«Only the people have the right to decide their future»

The first popular assembly in the history of sovereign Belarus was held on 19-20 October 1996 at a time of economic chaos and political turbulence.

A total of 4,740 delegates representing all regions, social strata, political forces, lines of work and ages, were nominated by labor collectives and public associations. They gathered in Minsk to discuss ways out of the social and political crisis and to chart the strategy of economic development of the country.

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, using his constitutional right, convened the congress to ensure the fullest possible participation of the general public in discussing the decisions taken by the country's leadership that determine the future of the young Belarusian state. The head of state delivered a report “Only the people have the right to decide their future” presenting a detailed analysis of the situation in the country during the first years of its independence and his tenure as president, outlined the future strategy of development of the state and society with a focus on a social market economy.

The delegates discussed the guidelines of the social and economic development of the Republic of Belarus for 1996-2000 (with a focus on export of goods and services, housing construction, development of the agricultural industry), the draft new wording of the Constitution, and the matters submitted by the head of state for the national referendum.

Equipped with the broad public support, the Belarusian president initiated the adoption of the new wording of the Belarusian Constitution at a nationwide referendum. The referendum was held in November 1996. The updated Constitution was approved by the overwhelming majority of the citizens.

Thus, the first national forum defined the path of the state's development for decades to come: social market economy and constitutional reform that gave strong powers to the president, the guarantor of the country's sovereignty and independence.

Speech by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko at the first Belarusian People's Congress

The second Belarusian People's Congress

«For strong and prosperous Belarus!»

The second Belarusian People's Congress was held on 18-19 May 2001 under the slogan “For strong and prosperous Belarus!”. The congress took stock of the previous five-year period and outlined the priorities of social and economic development for 2001-2005. The topics were food security, export, housing, innovations and investments. The head of state delivered a report themed around the motto of the congress. In his speech, the president outlined the main result of the past five-year period: Belarus emerged as an independent and self-sufficient state. “We chose the path of evolutionary transformations, and it justified itself,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.

Speech by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko at the second Belarusian People's Congress

The third Belarusian People's Congress

«The state for the people»

The third Belarusian People's Congress was held on 2-3 March 2006 under the slogan “The state for the people”. Its participants took stock of the 2001-2005 Social and Economic Development Program of Belarus and discussed a draft of a similar program for the following five years. President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Grigorievich Lukashenko said in his address: “We have succeeded in making our country not only sovereign, but also economically independent, which was much more difficult... Everything that we agreed on during the second Belarusian People's Congress has been brought to fruition”. Key goals of the new five-year plan were announced. Those were comprehensive human development, growth of real household income, innovative development of the economy, energy and resource conservation, growth of exports, increased competitiveness of Belarusian products, improvement of the agricultural industry, rural revival, increase in housing construction and development of small towns.

Speech by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko at the third Belarusian People's Congress

The fourth Belarusian People's Congress

«Our historical choice is an independent, strong and prosperous Belarus!»

The fourth Belarusian People's Congress took place on 6-7 December 2010 under the slogan “Our historical choice is an independent, strong and prosperous Belarus!”. As usual, the forum brought together people from all walks of life and from all government institutions. Acknowledging the positive results of the previous five-year plan, the delegates approved the 2011-2015 Social and Economic Development Program. The key goals of the new program were the preservation of the national model of a social market economy, improvement of the investment and business climate, development of high-tech industries, and export growth. The Congress adopted a resolution and an address to compatriots.

The resolution, in particular, pointed out that Belarus ranked high in the Human Development Index. The document set a task of moving up from the 61st place in the ranking to enter the top 50 countries with the highest human development index.

Speech by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko at the fourth Belarusian People's Congress

The fifth Belarusian People's Congress

«Together for a strong and prosperous Belarus!»

The fifth Belarusian People's Congress was held on 22-23 June 2016 under the slogan “Together for a strong and prosperous Belarus!” The delegates discussed milestones of the country's development over the previous five years. They pointed out to the preservation of political stability, economic sustainability and a strong social security network, and also developed a strategy for the next five-year period. The main provisions of the 2016-2020 Social and Economic Development Program of Belarus approved at the Congress envisaged improving the quality of life by increasing the competitiveness of the economy, attracting investment and driving innovation. Investment, employment, export, digitalization and youth were declared the country's priorities. The Congress adopted a resolution and an address to Belarusians. “Our main achievements are peace, calm and confidence in the future,” the address noted.

Speech by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko at the fifth Belarusian People's Congress

The sixth Belarusian People's Congress

«Unity. Development. Independence.»

The sixth Belarusian People's Congress was held on 11-12 February 2021 under the slogan “Unity. Development. Independence.” The agenda of the national forum included the discussion of the main provisions of the 2021-2025 Social and Economic Development Program of Belarus and social and political issues. The main goal of the next five-year period was to maintain social stability and improve living standards through high-quality economic growth, investment in human capital, and creation of comfortable conditions for living, working and fulfilling people's potential. The key priorities of the five-year period were declared as following: a happy family, strong regions, an intellectual country, and a partner state. A resolution was adopted following the forum.

This forum stood out because it launched the constitutional reform at the suggestion of the head of state. After the forum, large-scale work began on drafting amendments and additions to the fundamental law. A constitutional commission set up for this purpose included representatives of government agencies, the academic community, public associations, various sectors of the economy and the social sphere.

The draft amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus were discussed during a broad nationwide debate. On 27 February 2022, the fourth national referendum in the history of sovereign Belarus was held. More than 80% of people who took part in the referendum supported the constitutional amendments. These amendments changed the structure of power in the country. In particular, the Belarusian People's Congress was granted a constitutional status, becoming the highest representative body of people's power. Its decisions became binding.

Speech by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko at the sixth Belarusian People's Congress

This opened up a new chapter in the history of the Belarusian People's Congress.