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Village soviets may be abolished

Village soviets (councils) may be abolished in Belarus, Lidziya Yarmoshyna, head of the central election commission, told television network Belarus One on Sunday, BelaPAN said.

This may happen when the system of Belarus’ administrative divisions begins to change, Ms. Yarmoshyna said. Whether or not village soviets should be preserved is a rather serious matter, considering that it is very difficult to find candidates for seats in the soviets and ensure that they work despite having limited powers, she said. Land and other resources are managed by higher-level soviets and executive committees, she said.

According to Ms. Yarmoshyna, the Electoral Code may be amended to hold elections for the House of Representatives under a simple majority system.

“In a certain sense, this would be the acceptance of proposals by the OSCE, which suggests lowering the bar of voter turnout or removing it altogether,” she said.

On January 31, Alyaksandr Lukashenka met with top government officials to discuss draft amendments to the Electoral Code. The head of state directed that the bill should be ready in May.