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All 110 seats in the House of Representatives | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Turnout | 74.68% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Parliamentary elections were held in Belarus on 11 September 2016. [1]
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, formerly known by its Russian name Byelorussia or Belorussia, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital and most populous city is Minsk. Over 40% of its 207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq mi) is forested. Its major economic sectors are service industries and manufacturing. Until the 20th century, different states at various times controlled the lands of modern-day Belarus, including the Principality of Polotsk, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire.
The 110 members of the House of Representatives were previously elected using the two-round system. However, a new electoral code was introduced in 2013, abolishing the requirement for candidates to receive an absolute majority, effectively changing the voting system to first-past-the-post. All candidates are elected in single-member constituencies. [2] However, if there is only one candidate, they are required to receive at least 50% of the votes cast (voters may also vote against all). [2] [3] Voter turnout in a constituency must be at least 50% for the election to be deemed valid. [3]
Under the 1996 Constitution, the House of Representatives is the lower house of the parliament of Belarus.
The two-round system is a voting method used to elect a single winner, where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate. However, if no candidate receives the required number of votes, then those candidates having less than a certain proportion of the votes, or all but the two candidates receiving the most votes, are eliminated, and a second round of voting is held.
A first-past-the-post electoral system is one in which voters indicate on a ballot the candidate of their choice, and the candidate who receives the most votes wins. This is sometimes described as winner takes all. First-past-the-post voting is a plurality voting method. FPTP is a common, but not universal, feature of electoral systems with single-member electoral divisions, and is practiced in close to one third of countries. Notable examples include Canada, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as most of their current or former colonies and protectorates.
In cases where the turnout have not been met or no candidate has been elected, repeat elections will be held. [3]
Region | Seats |
---|---|
City of Minsk | 20 |
Brest Region | 16 |
Gomel Region | 17 |
Grodno Region | 13 |
Mogilev Region | 13 |
Minsk Region | 17 |
Vitebsk Region | 14 |
Total seats | 110 |
The pro-government Communist Party of Belarus, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Republican Party of Labour and Justice and the Belarusian Patriotic Party all participated in the elections, whilst many pro-government candidates ran as independents.
The Communist Party of Belarus is a communist and Marxist–Leninist political party in Belarus.
The Republican Party of Labour and Justice, also known by its acronym RPTS is a social democratic political party in Belarus founded by Ivan Antonovich in 1993. The chairman is Vasil Zadnyaprany. The party is considered to be supportive of the government of president Alexander Lukashenko.
The Belarusian Patriotic Party is a political party in Belarus loyal to President Alexander Lukashenko. Nikolai Ulakhovich is party chairman.
In contrast to the previous elections in 2012, the opposition did not boycott the elections, instead forming an alliance under the name Prava Vybora (The Right to Choose) consisting of the BPF Party, the Belarusian Christian Democracy, the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Assembly), the Za svabodu movement, the United Civic Party of Belarus, the Belarusian Party "The Greens", the Belarusian Liberal Party of Freedom and Progress and the Trade Union of Electric Industry. [4] The Belarusian Left Party "A Just World" also contested the elections. [5]
The BPF Party, is a political party in Belarus. It was de-facto established after the split of the social movement Belarusian Popular Front or BPF (Belarusian: Беларускі Народны Фронт "Адраджэньне", translit. Biełaruski Narodny Front "Adradžeńnie" or БНФ in 1999. The Belarusian Popular Front was founded during the Perestroika era by members of the Belarusian intelligentsia, including Vasil Bykaŭ. Its first and most charismatic leader was Zianon Pazniak.
The Belarusian Christian Democracy is a Christian-democratic political party in Belarus, established in 2005, which claims to be continuation of a short-lived movement with the same name, which existed at the beginning of the 20th century.
Party | Leader | Ideology | Position | Number of participating constituencies |
---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democratic Party | Sergei Gaidukevich | Pan-Slavism | Constructive opposition (declarative) Pro-government (in fact) | 73 |
United Civic Party of Belarus | Anatoly Lebedko | Liberal conservatism | Part of the opposition alliance "The Right to Choose" | 53 |
BPF Party | Alaksej Janukevich | Belarusian nationalism | Part of the opposition alliance "The Right to Choose" | 45 |
Belarusian Left Party "A Just World" | Sergey Kalyakin | Democratic socialism | Opposition | 37 |
Communist Party of Belarus | Igor Karpenko | Communism, Marxism–Leninism | Pro-government | 36 |
Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Assembly) | Irina Veshtard | Social democracy | Part of the opposition alliance "The Right to Choose" | 27 |
Republican Party of Labour and Justice | Vasil Zadnyaprany | Social democracy | Pro-government | 16 |
Belarusian Patriotic Party | Nikolai Ulakhovich | Social justice | Pro-government | 16 |
Belarusian Party "The Greens" | Aleh Novikaŭ | Green Politics | Part of the opposition alliance "The Right to Choose" | 5 |
The Central Election Commission stated that elections had been deemed valid in all constituencies. At the same time, independent observers declared that turnout data had been falsified in many constituencies, particularly in Minsk, and the real turnout was less than 50% required for the results in a constituency to be deemed valid.
The elections saw two opposition candidates win seats; Hanna Kanapatskaya, a member of the United Civic Party won in one of the Minsk constituencies, whilst independent candidate Alena Anisim won in a constituency in the Minsk Region. The other 93 independent candidates were considered to be pro-government. The Communist Party of Belarus, the Republican Party of Labour and Justice and the Belarusian Patriotic Party all support President Alexander Lukashenko, and although the Liberal Democratic Party declares to be "constructive democratic opposition", it is de facto pro-government.
The President of the Republic of Belarus is the head of state of Belarus. The office was created in 1994 with the passing of the Constitution of Belarus by the Supreme Soviet. This replaced the office of Chairman of the Supreme Soviet as the head of state. The tasks of the president include executing foreign and domestic policy, defending the rights and general welfare of citizens and residents, and upholding the Constitution. The president is mandated by the Constitution to serve as a leader in the social affairs of the country and to act as its main representative abroad. The duties, responsibilities and other transitional clauses dealing with the presidency are listed in Chapter Three, Articles 79 through 89, of the Constitution.
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko is a Belarusian politician serving as President of Belarus since the office was created on 20 July 1994. Before launching his political career, Lukashenko worked as director of a collective farm (kolkhoz) and spent time with the Soviet Border Troops and the Soviet Army. He was the only deputy to vote against the independence of Belarus from the Soviet Union.
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
---|---|---|---|---|
Communist Party of Belarus | 380,770 | 7.40 | 8 | +5 |
Liberal Democratic Party | 218,081 | 4.24 | 1 | +1 |
Republican Party of Labour and Justice | 147,378 | 2.87 | 3 | +2 |
United Civic Party | 111,227 | 2.16 | 1 | +1 |
Belarusian Patriotic Party | 111,045 | 2.16 | 3 | New |
BPF Party | 88,511 | 1.72 | 0 | 0 |
Belarusian Left Party "A Just World" | 72,185 | 1.40 | 0 | 0 |
Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Assembly) | 66,381 | 1.29 | 0 | 0 |
Belarusian Party "The Greens" | 9,038 | 0.18 | 0 | New |
Independents | 3,445,562 | 67.01 | 94 | –11 |
Against all | 491,986 | 9.57 | – | – |
Invalid votes | 69,707 | – | – | – |
Total | 5,211,871 | 100 | 110 | 0 |
Registered voters/turnout | 6,978,490 | 74.68 | – | – |
Source: CEC (Results), CEC (Candidate information) |
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Belarus |
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The politics of Belarus takes place in a framework of a presidential republic with a bicameral parliament. The President of Belarus is the head of state. Executive power is exercised by the government, at its top sits a prime minister, appointed by the President. Legislative power is de jure vested in the bicameral parliament, the National Assembly, however the president may enact decrees that are executed the same way as laws, for undisputed time. Belarus's declaration of independence on 27 July 1990, did not stem from long-held political aspirations but from reactions to domestic and foreign events. Ukraine's declaration of independence, in particular, led the leaders of then Belarusian SSR to realize that the Soviet Union was on the brink of dissolving, which it did.
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