House of Representatives of Belarus

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Belarus

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Under the 1996 Constitution, the House of Representatives (Palata Predstavitelei) is the lower house of the parliament of Belarus.

It consists of 110 deputies elected on the basis of universal, equal, free, and direct electoral suffrage by secret ballot (art. 91). It is a majoritarian system, with the outcome decided by overall majorities in single-memberconstituencies. Any citizen of 21 years is eligible for election (art. 92). The functions of the House are to consider draft laws and the other business of government; it must approve the nomination of a prime minister (art. 97); and it may deliver a vote of no confidence on the government (art. 97).

The upper house is the Council of the Republic.

[edit] Composition

[discuss] – [edit]
Summary of the 13 and 17 October 2004 Belarus House of Representative election results

Parties	Votes	%	Seats
Communist Party of Belarus (Kamunistyčnaja partyja Biełarusi)		.	8
Agrarian Party of Belarus (Ahrarnaja partyja Bełarusi)		.	3
Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus (Liberalna-demakratyčnaja partyja Biełarusi)		.	1
Non-partisans		.	98
People's Coalition 5 Plus (Narodnaja kaalicyja "Piaciorka plus") Belarusian Labour Party (Biełaruskaja partyja pracy) Belarusian Popular Front (Narodny front Biełarusi) Belarusian Social Democratic Party-Assembly (Sacyjał-demakratyčnaja partyja Biełarusi "Hramada") Party of Communists of Belarus (Partyja kamunistov Biełarusi) United Civil Party of Belarus (Abjadnanaja hramadzianskaja partyja Biełarusi)		.	-
Democratic Centrist Coalition (Kaalicyja demakratyčnych centrystaŭ) Republic (Respublika) Young Belarus (Maładaja Biełaruś) European Coalition Free Belarus (Eŭrapiejskaja kaalicyja "Svabodnaja Biełaruś") Belarusian Social Democratic Party - People's Assembly (Sacyjal-demokratyčnaja partyja Biełarusi – "Nardonaja hramada") Belarusian Women's Party Hope (Biełaruskaja partyja žančyn "Nadzieja")		.	-
Conservative Christian Party (Kansiervatyŭnaja chryścijanskaja partyja)		.	-
Social Democratic Party of Popular Accord (Sacyjal-demokratyčnaja partyja "Narodnaja zhoda")		.	-
Belarusian Socialist Sporting Party (Biełaruskaja sacyjalistyčnaja spartyŭnaja partyja)		.	-
Republican Party of Labour and Juctice (Respublikanskaja partyja pracy i spraviadlivasci)		.	-
Total (turnout 90.1 %)	6,096,138		110
Registered electors	6,986,163
Blank or invalid ballot papers	201,462
Source: IPU Parline.

These elections fell according to the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission [1] significantly short of OSCE commitments. Universal principles and constitutionally guaranteed rights of expression, association and assembly were seriously challenged, calling into question the Belarusian authorities’ willingness to respect the concept of political competition on a basis of equal treatment. According to this mission principles of an inclusive democratic process, whereby citizens have the right to seek political office without discrimination, candidates to present their views without obstruction, and voters to learn about them and discuss them freely, were largely ignored.