The Central Election Commission registered 56 candidates for seats in the Council of the Republic of the Belarusian National Assembly on August 23. This number of candidates is elected in every province and in Minsk City Council – eight people from every province and Minsk. Eight more are appointed by the President.
"Candidates are registered according to the law and they correspond to all the legal requirements,” BelaPAN quotes CEC chairperson Lidziya Yarmoshyna.
Minister of Labour and Social Protection Maryana Shchotkina is also a registered candidate. According to the law, members of the Council of the Republic cannot be ministers. Shchotkina has promised to leave her position in the government when she is elected member of the Council of the Republic, Yarmoshyna said.
Current chairperson of the Council of the Republic Mihail Myasnikovich, head of the Federation of Trade Unions Mihail Orda, Belarusian Ambassador to Japan Syarhei Rahmanau, head of the Liberal Democratic Party Syarhei Haidukevich, director of the complex Brest Hero-Fortress Ryhor Bysyuk and others are also on the list of candidates.
