Belarus to hold 'constitutional reform' vote on Sunday, says envoy to Turkiye

By Ali Cura

ANKARA (AA) - The Belarusian ambassador to Turkiye has said the upcoming referendum on "constitutional reform" in the country will contribute to the expansion of human rights and freedoms.

Viktor Rybak told Anadolu Agency that Sunday's referendum was a necessity of time and the government was not bowing down to the demands of protesters -- who took to the streets in 2020 challenging election results which brought Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to power for a sixth term.

The ambassador said that opposition circles outside of Belarus were trying to disrupt the referendum, stressing that the desires of these groups were determined not by the national interests of the Belarusian people and state, but by the will of their foreign protector.

Rybak stated that the constitution was amended twice, in 1996 and 2004, by referendum.

He said Lukashenko brought up the matter of the effectiveness of the current constitution and the possibility of its regulation in 2016, underlining there was no reaction from the opposition then.

Brushing aside criticism from the West, Rybak said Western leaders had also rejected previous referendums and elections even before the results were announced.

“Constitutional reform in Belarus will make it possible to redistribute power by strengthening the powers of parliament, government and local authorities. All this is precisely aimed at further strengthening democracy and democratic rights in the political system," he said.

He also said that the age limit for a presidential candidate will be raised to 40 with a maximum of two terms.

Over 100 international observers will monitor the referendum, he added.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan