Constitution of Belarus - Section One: Principles of The Constitutional System

Section One: Principles of The Constitutional System

Section One of the Constitution sets up the governmental framework and specifies that the government is run by the people of Belarus. The government, which has been declared a multi-party representative democracy, forms its own foreign policy and is willing to defend the right to do so when necessary. Section One also establishes that the state protects the rights and freedoms of its citizens, but contains the proviso that a citizen of Belarus "bears a responsibility towards the State to discharge unwaveringly the duties imposed upon him by the Constitution."

The government itself has a system of checks and balances for each branch of the government, but all of the branches are to be independent from influence from the other branches. The government is authorized to pass laws conforming with the provisions of the Constitution, by which it is expected to abide. If the laws do not conform with the Constitution, then they can be declared void. The laws themselves are subject to international law and Belarus is willing to "recognize the supremacy of the universally acknowledged principles of international law and ensure that its laws comply with such principles."

The territory of Belarus is divided into discrete regions, called oblasts. The oblasts are further divided into districts which are in turn subdivided into cities. The Constitution also allows for special regions to be created, which are to be controlled by legislation. Citizens of Belarus are also promised protection and sponsorship, regardless of whether they are inside Belarusian borders or in a foreign country. With some exceptions, those who do not have a nationality and foreigners are, under the Constitution, granted the same status and rights as citizens of Belarus. Belarus also has the power to grant asylum to those who have been subject to persecution due to their ethnic background, political ideology or religious affiliation.

The Constitution also establishes Belarusian and Russian as the official languages of the country, pledges neutrality and non-nuclear proliferation, adopts national symbols, and establishes Minsk as the capital (Minsk was previously the capital of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic).