National Assembly of Belarus

National Assembly Of Belarus

The National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus is the bicameral parliament that governs the Eastern European country of Belarus. The two chambers of the National Assembly are:

• Council of the Republic- The upper house
• House of Representatives- The lower house

While each chamber has specific duties, both chambers have the ability to veto the decrees of local administrations that deviate from the Constitution of Belarus.

The chambers of the National Assembly are convened to two regular sessions every year: the first session opens October 2 and its duration cannot be more than 80 days; the second session opens April 2 and does not last more than 90 days.

The House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic may be convened to an extraordinary session. Extraordinary sessions are convened under a particular agenda upon an initiative of the President of the Republic of Belarus or upon a request of at least two-thirds majority of the full membership of each of the chambers.

Any bill must be initially considered in the House of Representatives and then in the Council of the Republic. According to the Constitution, any bill that impacts the state budget must be approved by the president or the government before being voted on.

Its predecessor was the Supreme Soviet of Belarus (until 1996).