Belarusian Statehood

Belarus is a presidential republic, where the President is the head of state, the guarantor of the Constitution and people’s rights and freedoms. The Presidential elections take place every five years. The constitution of the Republic of Belarus was adopted in 1994. The Constitution provides personal rights and freedoms of the citizens of the Republic of Belarus and establishes the responsibility of the state before its citizens for the creation of conditions for free development of the individual.

The constitution guarantees the citizens of the Republic of Belarus the right to health protection, including free treatment in state health-care institutions. The Fundamental Law also guarantees free general education and professional teaching training. Secondary special and higher education is accessible to all, depending on the abilities of each person. The citizens have the right to social security at old age, in case of illness, disability, loss of breadwinner, and in other cases regulated by law.

State power in the Republic of Belarus is exercised through three main branches- legislative, executive and judicial. These bodies are independent.

The National Assembly (the Parliament) is a representative and legislative body of the Republic of Belarus. It consists of two chambers – the House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic. The elections of the deputies to the House of Representatives are direct by secret vote.

The executive power is exercised by the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister. The Government is accountable to the President and the Parliament.

Courts perform the judicial power in the republic.

The symbols of the Republic of Belarus as a sovereign state are its national flag, national emblem and national anthem. The National Flag of the Republic is a cloth consisting of two stripes: a red upper stripe and a green lower stripe. The vertical red-on-white Belarusian decorative pattern occupies one-ninth of the flag’s length

The National Emblem of Belarus represents a green contour of the Republic of Belarus in golden rays radiated by the sun over the globe. Above the contour there is a red five-pointed star. The emblem is framed in the wreath of golden wheat-ears and with clover flowers on the left and flax flowers on the right. The green ribbon at the bottom carries the golden inscription “The Republic of Belarus”

The National Anthem was composed to the music by N Sokolovsky and it symbolizes Belarusian historical musical traditions. The lyrics were written by M. Klimkovich and V Karizna and they emphasize patriotism and industriousness of the country’s citizens, friendly relations among people of different nationalities living in our country