Constitution Day of the Republic of Belarus - March 15. History and features of the holiday

Every year in mid-May, beginning in 1994, a sovereign holiday is celebrated on the Day of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. The adoption of the basic law for citizens is important and is the backbone that determines the development of a socially oriented and rule-of-law state. To date, the current document, after amending the referendums held in November 1996 and October 2004, has nine sections and an introductory part - the preamble.

The concept of

The concept of the word comes from Latin and means structure / setting. The document is the central law of the country, which establishes the organization of power and determines the principles of the social system, the form of government and the standards of social behavior of citizens.

In the formal aspect, the constitution is viewed as the totality of acts having legal force of the highest degree. In this connection, an alternative name is often used - the Basic Law. Texts of the previous constitutions of the republic used a replacement for the accompanying name. For today, the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus has such an antonomasia only in the preamble.

The main document for the state fixes and defines two important points:

1. Guarantee of the rights and freedoms of its citizens.
2. Organization and form of state power.

The Constitution is adopted on the basis of political confrontations and is a compromise between the ruling parties and the opposition.

Constitution Day of the Republic of Belarus, or chronology of events

The first socialist constitution was adopted in the distant 1919 and expressed ideas related to the interests of the working class.

At the end of eight years at the next All-Belarusian Congress, the second Main Law was approved, which determined the republic's entry into the USSR.

The third Constitution of the socialist direction was adopted in February 1937. It marked the transition to the division of power into 3 components: judicial, legislative and executive.

The adoption in 1978 of the Fourth Basic Law of Soviet Belarus was the adoption of the constitution in the USSR in the previous year. The main vector of development was chosen socialism and the construction of a nation-wide state.

The Constitution of Belarus of 1994 became the fifth document of the Republic determining the basis of the state and society, the rights and freedoms of citizens. And now on May 15 (the date of adoption), every year there is a celebration - the Day of the Constitution of Belarus.

Declaration of the Supreme Council - the first step towards sovereignty

July 27, 2015, it will be exactly 25 years since the adoption of an important document that became the basis for writing the fifth Constitution of Belarus - the Declaration on State Sovereignty. Until August 1991, the regulatory legal act was of a recommendatory nature. And on August 25 of the year, the Declaration adopted the official status of the constitutional law. A month later, the BSSR was renamed into the Republic of Belarus, which is now known. New state symbols have also been adopted: the flag and the coat of arms, and later the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and the civil passport.

The significance of the document is enormous, it clearly defined the ratio of despotic powers of the Union and the republic. From now on the territory of Belarus the supremacy of the laws of the republic, and not the USSR.

The importance of the event was determined by the Supreme Council by proclaiming July 27 as Independence Day. The 1996 referendum was postponed until 3 July.

The main features of the new Constitution, different from previous documents

In 1994, 236 people voted (with a quorum in 231), and the Constitution was adopted. The main law of the Republic of Belarus was signed by M. Grib - the chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus - and after the publication in the press on March 30, it became an official document.

Distinctive features of the Constitution of 1994:

1. Independence from the influence of the Communist Party.
2. Consolidation of the variety of forms of ownership.
3. The definition of equality of citizens and the state.
4. Consolidation of generally established principles of international law as the basis for the formation of current legislation.
5. Direct regulatory impact of constitutional norms.

Constitution of the Republic of Belarus

In the basic law, constitutional norms are grouped into sections and chapters. The introductory part, as in most constitutions, is represented by a preamble, which sets out the principles that the people and government must adhere to in the process of social development and state building.

The first section defines the fundamentals of the constitutional system and defines the BR as a democratic, legal, unitary and social state. Section two is intended to establish the rights, duties and freedoms of a citizen and a person. The third section describes the main provisions related to the electoral system. The fourth section on state bodies and their powers: the president, the court, the parliament and the government. The fifth section outlines the powers, the status of local government and self-government.

The sixth section is devoted to the Prosecutor's Office and the State Committee. Control. The seventh branch of the Constitution is the norms in the financial and credit sphere. Issues related to the operation of the Constitution are set out in section eight. The last, ninth section contains norms on the final and transitional provisions.

The first and only president

The adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus determined the need for the election of the Head of State. In 1994, at the first general election of the post-Soviet era, Alexander Lukashenko was elected president. He firmly holds power over the state apparatus and the economy until now.

The results of the referendum held in 1996 on the initiative of A. Lukashenko were changes: the two-year term of the president's presidency has now been canceled; henceforth the countdown to the next elections was determined from 1996; And the Supreme Council was reformed into a bicameral parliament, called the National Assembly. In addition, the Head of State had the opportunity to appoint members to the Central Committee for elections and referendums and six judges of justice to the Constitutional Court.

The result of the second referendum in 2006 was the lifting of restrictions on the office of the president for no more than two terms. So, Alexander Grigorievich was able to run for the third time. The victory in the elections in 2006 was achieved with a result of 83% of the vote.

The first, and so far the only, president of the republic won and for the fourth time in the elections in 2010. A fine speaker, a cold-blooded and cruel politician, he does not leave anyone indifferent. Perhaps in November 2015 the people will hear the fifth oath from the lips of Alexander Grigorievich.

National symbols as a sign of statehood

In the first section of the basic law of the republic it is said that the symbols of Belarus are the flag, coat of arms, anthem and this is considered a sign of a sovereign state. The main colors of the national flag are red (2/3 of the width) and green. On the side of the canvas of the national symbol is decorated with red ornament on a white background. On the Constitution Day of the Republic of Belarus and other solemn events, the flag holder is decorated with a diamond-shaped tip with an image in the center of a five-pointed star, such as on a coat of arms.

The State Emblem is a wreath of ears of corn, clover and flax, bound with ribbons of the same colors as the flag. The center of the symbol depicts the borders of the republic above the globe and against the background of the golden rays of the sun.

Features of celebrating the Constitution Day

Although this holiday is considered a state holiday, but in Belarus it is a working day, according to the President's Decree of 1998. A solemn ceremony of handing out passports of young people who reached the age of 16 is being held across the country from the hands of senior officials. On the Constitution Day of the Republic of Belarus, exhibitions, quizzes, thematic talks, competitions for the best performance of the anthem and other cultural events that raise the national spirit are held.

The broadcasts of TV and radio companies broadcast congratulations of the head of state - A.G. Lukashenka with a solemn speech to his citizens.

What public holidays are still honored in Belarus?

State holidays of the Republic of Belarus are established by Presidential Decree No. 157 dated March 26, 1998. These are the days that have a historical past and socio-political significance in the development of the Belarusian state.

A series of state celebrations begins on March 15 - Constitution Day. On April 2, the unity of peoples is marked, connected with the signing of the treaty by the guarantors of states on the creation of an alliance between Russia and Belarus. The victory celebration, which, as in most countries, celebrated on May 9, has not been crossed out and forgotten. Annually, on the second Sunday of May, there is a celebration dedicated to national symbols: the coat of arms and the flag. On the day of liberation of Belarus from the Germans, namely on July 3, an equally important event of a national scale is celebrated - Independence Day.

Of the entire list of public holidays, only Victory Day is considered a day off.