BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

27/09/2008

Backgrounder: Basic facts about Belarusian parliamentary elections

MINSK, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Belarusian parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held on Sunday. Following is some basic facts about Belarusian parliament and its electoral system.

The Belarusian parliament, or the National Assembly, consists of two chambers. The House of Representatives has 110 members elected in single-member constituencies to serve four-year terms. The upper house of the chamber, or the Council of the Republic, has 64 members, of whom 56 are indirectly elected and 8 appointed by Belarusian president.

Any Belarusian citizen who is above 21 years old and has been residing in the country is eligible for a seat in the House of Representatives.

The majority of the seats in the National Assembly are presently filled by those not affiliated with any political parties. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of Belarus, the Agrarian Party of Belarus, and the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus hold seats in the House of Representatives.

Candidates garnering more than 50 percent of the vote in a valid first round, which is defined as having a turnout over 50 percent, will be elected. In constituencies where there is no outright winner in the first round, the two highest placed candidates will go forward to a second round to be held within two weeks.

The candidates may be nominated by political parties, collection of signatures of electors, and labor collectives.

Source:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-09/27/content_10119742.htm

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