MINSK, March 15. /TASS/: The updated Belarusian constitution, adopted at a nationwide referendum on February 27, came into force on Tuesday. The constitutional amendments to the Basic Law of the country were supported by 82.86% of voters, and a total of 78.63% of eligible voters cast their ballots in the referendum.
In early March, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed the referendum decision on the constitutional amendments. Minsk considers it symbolic that the new version of the Basic Law of Belarus came into force on March 15, when the country celebrates Constitution Day, timed to coincide with the adoption of the document in 1994.
According to Lukashenko, as a result of the constitutional reforms, it was possible to "carefully and wisely" improve the system of public administration, which has proven its effectiveness in practice. The Belarusian president believes that he still has enough opportunities to exercise his powers as head of state, but other government bodies "should perform their functions more boldly and independently."
From now on, the same person cannot be President of Belarus for more than two terms. Furthermore, presidential decrees will no longer be adopted in the republic. In addition, the age limit for assuming the presidency has been raised to 40 years old, and regarding residency qualifications, a candidate should be a permanent resident of Belarus for at least 20 years immediately prior to the elections.
