Belarus marks Constitution Day
16.03.2026
MINSK (
BelTA) – Belarus celebrates Constitution Day on 15 March.
15 March 1994 stands as one of the key dates in the history of sovereign Belarus. On this day, the Constitution was adopted, which for the first time in the history of Belarusian statehood enshrined the country’s status as a unitary democratic social state governed by the rule of law. This document laid a solid legal foundation for independence and fulfilled the aspiration of the Belarusian people to be full masters of their native land.
The adoption of the 1994 Basic Law was preceded by the Belarusian constitutions of the Soviet era from 1919, 1927, 1937, and 1978. These documents laid the foundations of Belarusian statehood, established the system of state bodies, and enshrined the fundamental rights and duties of citizens. Each of these constitutions had its own distinctive features, but what they all shared was a reflection of socialist values and the consolidation of Marxist-Leninist ideology.
Against the backdrop of the collapse of the USSR and the political and socio-economic transformations that preceded it, a need arose in Belarus to change the constitutional foundations of the state system. Extensive work was carried out on the draft of the Basic Law, a process that spanned several years. As a result, on 15 March 1994, at the 13th session of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus of the 12th convocation, the first Constitution in the history of the sovereign country was adopted. It established the principles of a democratic system, the primacy of human rights and freedoms, and the supremacy of international law. Furthermore, for the first time in the country’s history, the Constitution introduced the office of the President of the Republic of Belarus into the system of highest state governing bodies.
The 1994 Constitution operates with the amendments and additions adopted at the national referendums of 24 November 1996, 17 October 2004, and 27 February 2022. The entire system of current legislation is formed on the basis of the Constitution; it defines the competence of state bodies as well as the boundaries of legal regulation. The Constitution establishes the legal status of state authorities, which makes it possible to determine the hierarchy of normative acts they adopt. At the same time, the most important legal characteristic of the Constitution is its supremacy over all other legal acts. The corresponding rules (regarding the supremacy of the Constitution) are enshrined in the Basic Law itself. The Constitution’s priority over other acts is also reinforced by the specific procedure for its adoption, amendment, or repeal.
The effect of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and the procedure for amending it are defined in Section VIII of the Basic Law. Article 138 states that the question of amending or supplementing the Constitution is considered by the houses of parliament on the initiative of the President, the Belarusian People’s Congress, no less than one-third of the full composition of each house of parliament, or no fewer than 150,000 citizens of the Republic of Belarus eligible to vote. Article 140 establishes the provision that amendments and additions to the Constitution may be made through a referendum. A decision to amend or supplement the Constitution by referendum is considered adopted if more than half of the citizens who participated in the voting voted in favor of it. A referendum is considered valid if more than half of the citizens included in the voting lists took part in it. Sections I “Fundamentals of the Constitutional System”, II “The Individual, Society, and the State”, IV “The President, the Belarusian People’s Congress, the Parliament, the Government, the Courts”, and VIII “Procedure for Amending and Supplementing the Constitution” may only be amended by referendum.
The first amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus were made as a result of the national referendum held on 24 November 1996. Seven questions were put up for public consideration: four were initiated by the president, three by the parliament. As a result, two of the president’s proposals were supported, while all of the parliament’s proposals were rejected. Aleksandr Lukashenko’s proposal to move Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus to 3 July was supported by 88.18 % of voters, and the adoption of the new version of the Constitution proposed by the president was supported by 70.45 %.
Further amendments to the Constitution were adopted following the referendum of 17 October 2004, also initiated by the president. A single item was put to the people’s judgment: the possibility of granting the head of state the right to participate as a candidate for President of the Republic of Belarus in the next presidential elections and the removal of restrictions on the number of terms the same person could be re-elected to this office. Following the referendum, the Belarusian people again supported the leader’s proposal. According to data from the Central Election Commission, 90.28 % of citizens included in the voting lists took part in the vote. Of these, 79.42 % supported the decision on the issue put to the plebiscite.
The third referendum on amending and supplementing the Constitution was held on 27 February 2022, on the initiative of the president. An updated version of the country’s Basic Law was put up for public consideration, in which it was proposed to amend more than 80 articles, add one new chapter on the Belarusian People’s Congress, and include 11 new articles. The changes primarily affected matters of the state structure of our country. Thus, norms were formulated defining the status, formation procedure, and powers of the Belarusian People’s Congress, which became the highest representative body of people’s power. In favor of adopting the amendments and additions to the Constitution, 4,440,830 citizens voted, accounting for 82.86 % of those who participated in the voting.
The current Constitution embodies the continuity and experience of Belarus’ centuries-long historical path and marks a new stage in the country’s political and socio-economic development. It is based on the inalienable sovereign right of the Belarusian people to have their own statehood and to be a full-fledged subject of the world community. The Belarusian Constitution guarantees every citizen the freedoms and rights necessary for creative labor, a dignified life, and the harmonious and comprehensive development of the individual.
15 March 1994 stands as one of the key dates in the history of sovereign Belarus. On this day, the Constitution was adopted, which for the first time in the history of Belarusian statehood enshrined the country’s status as a unitary democratic social state governed by the rule of law. This document laid a solid legal foundation for independence and fulfilled the aspiration of the Belarusian people to be full masters of their native land.
The adoption of the 1994 Basic Law was preceded by the Belarusian constitutions of the Soviet era from 1919, 1927, 1937, and 1978. These documents laid the foundations of Belarusian statehood, established the system of state bodies, and enshrined the fundamental rights and duties of citizens. Each of these constitutions had its own distinctive features, but what they all shared was a reflection of socialist values and the consolidation of Marxist-Leninist ideology.
Against the backdrop of the collapse of the USSR and the political and socio-economic transformations that preceded it, a need arose in Belarus to change the constitutional foundations of the state system. Extensive work was carried out on the draft of the Basic Law, a process that spanned several years. As a result, on 15 March 1994, at the 13th session of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus of the 12th convocation, the first Constitution in the history of the sovereign country was adopted. It established the principles of a democratic system, the primacy of human rights and freedoms, and the supremacy of international law. Furthermore, for the first time in the country’s history, the Constitution introduced the office of the President of the Republic of Belarus into the system of highest state governing bodies.
The 1994 Constitution operates with the amendments and additions adopted at the national referendums of 24 November 1996, 17 October 2004, and 27 February 2022. The entire system of current legislation is formed on the basis of the Constitution; it defines the competence of state bodies as well as the boundaries of legal regulation. The Constitution establishes the legal status of state authorities, which makes it possible to determine the hierarchy of normative acts they adopt. At the same time, the most important legal characteristic of the Constitution is its supremacy over all other legal acts. The corresponding rules (regarding the supremacy of the Constitution) are enshrined in the Basic Law itself. The Constitution’s priority over other acts is also reinforced by the specific procedure for its adoption, amendment, or repeal.
The effect of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and the procedure for amending it are defined in Section VIII of the Basic Law. Article 138 states that the question of amending or supplementing the Constitution is considered by the houses of parliament on the initiative of the President, the Belarusian People’s Congress, no less than one-third of the full composition of each house of parliament, or no fewer than 150,000 citizens of the Republic of Belarus eligible to vote. Article 140 establishes the provision that amendments and additions to the Constitution may be made through a referendum. A decision to amend or supplement the Constitution by referendum is considered adopted if more than half of the citizens who participated in the voting voted in favor of it. A referendum is considered valid if more than half of the citizens included in the voting lists took part in it. Sections I “Fundamentals of the Constitutional System”, II “The Individual, Society, and the State”, IV “The President, the Belarusian People’s Congress, the Parliament, the Government, the Courts”, and VIII “Procedure for Amending and Supplementing the Constitution” may only be amended by referendum.
The first amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus were made as a result of the national referendum held on 24 November 1996. Seven questions were put up for public consideration: four were initiated by the president, three by the parliament. As a result, two of the president’s proposals were supported, while all of the parliament’s proposals were rejected. Aleksandr Lukashenko’s proposal to move Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus to 3 July was supported by 88.18 % of voters, and the adoption of the new version of the Constitution proposed by the president was supported by 70.45 %.
Further amendments to the Constitution were adopted following the referendum of 17 October 2004, also initiated by the president. A single item was put to the people’s judgment: the possibility of granting the head of state the right to participate as a candidate for President of the Republic of Belarus in the next presidential elections and the removal of restrictions on the number of terms the same person could be re-elected to this office. Following the referendum, the Belarusian people again supported the leader’s proposal. According to data from the Central Election Commission, 90.28 % of citizens included in the voting lists took part in the vote. Of these, 79.42 % supported the decision on the issue put to the plebiscite.
The third referendum on amending and supplementing the Constitution was held on 27 February 2022, on the initiative of the president. An updated version of the country’s Basic Law was put up for public consideration, in which it was proposed to amend more than 80 articles, add one new chapter on the Belarusian People’s Congress, and include 11 new articles. The changes primarily affected matters of the state structure of our country. Thus, norms were formulated defining the status, formation procedure, and powers of the Belarusian People’s Congress, which became the highest representative body of people’s power. In favor of adopting the amendments and additions to the Constitution, 4,440,830 citizens voted, accounting for 82.86 % of those who participated in the voting.
The current Constitution embodies the continuity and experience of Belarus’ centuries-long historical path and marks a new stage in the country’s political and socio-economic development. It is based on the inalienable sovereign right of the Belarusian people to have their own statehood and to be a full-fledged subject of the world community. The Belarusian Constitution guarantees every citizen the freedoms and rights necessary for creative labor, a dignified life, and the harmonious and comprehensive development of the individual.