More than 200 citizens have already approached the public reception offices, which have been operating in the Vitebsk region since November 11, with initiatives, proposals, and remarks.
More than 200 citizens have already approached the public reception offices, which have been operating in the Vitebsk region since November 11, with initiatives, proposals, and remarks.
Representatives of authorities, the deputy corps, and leaders of public associations participate in the work of the reception offices. To popularise this form of consultative and dialogue platform, its activities are widely supported by information: work schedules and modes are published on the websites of the regional, city, and district executive committees, in the mass media, and on social media and messenger pages.
More than 320 proposals and remarks on various aspects of state and public life have already been received by the reception offices. The most significant initiatives will be systematised and sent to the organising committee of the Sixth All-Belarusian People's Congress. Issues requiring specific solutions (concerning housing and communal services, road management, architecture, and construction) are forwarded for consideration within the scope of competence of the relevant organisations in accordance with the legislation on citizens' and legal entities' appeals.
It should be noted that citizens have most actively used the potential of the public reception offices to initiate proposals for amendments to the Constitution and legislative acts of the Republic of Belarus. These can be conditionally grouped into three major blocks.
Firstly, these are initiatives concerning constitutional development and the amendment of the country's fundamental law. For example, reforming parliament into a unicameral body, electing deputies by party lists or introducing a mixed electoral system, raising the voting age to 21, enhancing the role of Councils of Deputies by transferring some functions of executive committees, and establishing the supremacy of national legislation over international law. It is worth noting that similar initiatives are also discussed during the work of dialogue platforms deployed in the Vitebsk region. The meticulousness with which citizens have approached the discussion of the country's future development is evidenced, for example, by an appeal to the editorial office from Anatoly Prishchepov, a resident of the regional center. We remind you that "VV" also collected proposals and initiatives within the framework of the ongoing public discussion. Anatoly Nikolaevich believes it is necessary to amend five articles of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. These articles regulate the relationship between the individual, society, and the state, aim to adjust the electoral system, and govern the legislative activities of parliament. In particular, Anatoly Prishchepov proposes to supplement Article 100 of the Constitution with a norm stating that no law that worsens the living conditions of citizens should be adopted.
The second major block comprises proposals for improving the education system. For instance, citizens deem it necessary to clearly regulate the number of students per class and initiate the development of a state program for the patriotic education of the younger generation. Their life experience suggests the need to increase hours for specialized education and to take measures to enhance the prestige of secondary vocational education, including by not requiring a mandatory higher education degree for employment in certain specialties and positions.
The third block covers social initiatives. These include, in particular, the need to reinstate travel concessions for pensioners and to streamline issues related to preferential pension provision for employees of law enforcement agencies. Furthermore, citizens actively expressed their views on housing matters, for example, by proposing to provide rental housing to foster families out of turn and by addressing issues of preferential housing privatization. Another initiative sounds particularly relevant on the eve of New Year celebrations: if a public holiday coincides with a weekend (Saturday, Sunday), the weekend should be moved to the next working day after the holiday.