CHAPTER 1
ELECTORAL SYSTEM

Article 64. Elections of deputies and other persons elected to state offices by the people shall be general: citizens of the Republic of Belarus who have reached the age of 18 shall be eligible to vote.

Citizens who are deemed incapable by a court or kept in places of confinement in accordance with a court sentence shall not take part in elections. Persons in respect of whom detention, as a measure of restraint, is selected under the procedure established by the criminal procedural legislation shall not take part in voting. Any direct or indirect restrictions on voting rights of citizens in other instances shall be inadmissible and punishable by law.

The age qualification of deputies and other persons to be elected to state offices shall be determined by the corresponding laws, unless otherwise provided by the Constitution.

Article 65. Elections shall be free: a voter shall decide personally whether to take part in elections and for whom to vote.

The preparation and holding of elections shall be open and public.

Article 66. Elections shall be equal: voters shall have an equal number of votes.

Candidates elected to state offices shall take part in elections on the equal basis.

Article 67. Elections of deputies shall be direct: deputies shall be elected by citizens directly.

Article 68. Voting in elections shall be secret: control over expression of the will of voters during voting shall be prohibited.

Article 69. Public associations, work collectives and citizens shall have the right to nominate candidates for deputies in accordance with the law.

Article 70. Expenditures for preparation and holding of elections shall be covered by the State within the limits of the funds assigned for this purpose. In instances determined by the law, expenditures for preparation and holding of elections may be covered at the expense of funds of public associations, enterprises, institutions, organisations and citizens.

Article 71. Electoral commissions shall ensure holding of elections, unless otherwise provided by the Constitution.

The procedure regulating holding of elections shall be determined by laws of the Republic of Belarus.

No elections shall be held during a state of emergency or martial law.

Article 72. Recall of deputies shall be carried out on the grounds specified by law.

Voting for the recall of a deputy shall be conducted according to the procedure determined for election of a deputy, and on the initiative of no less than 20 percent of the citizens eligible to vote and residing in the corresponding territory.

The grounds and procedure for the recall of members of the Council of the Republic shall be established by law.

CHAPTER 2
REFERENDUM (POPULAR VOTE)

Article 73. Republican and local referenda may be held to resolve the most important issues of the State and society.

Article 74. Republican referenda shall be called by the President of the Republic of Belarus on his own initiative as well as on the proposal of the House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic passed at their separate sittings by a majority of votes of the composition (full composition) of each House established by the Constitution, or on the proposal of no less than 450 thousand citizens eligible to vote, including no less than 30 thousand citizens from each of the regions (oblasts) and the city of Minsk.

The President shall, after the submission in accordance with the law for his consideration of the proposals on holding the referendum of the House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic or of the citizens, call a republican referendum.

The date of referendum shall be set no later than three months from the day of issuing the edict of the President on holding the referendum.

The decisions adopted by the republican referendum shall be signed by the President of the Republic of Belarus.

Article 75. Local referenda shall be called by the corresponding local representative bodies on their initiative or on the proposal of no less than ten percent of the citizens eligible to vote and residing in the corresponding territory.

Article 76. Referenda shall be held by means of universal, free, equal and secret ballot.

Citizens of the Republic of Belarus eligible to vote take part in referenda.

Article 77. The decisions adopted by a referendum may be abolished or changed only by means of another referendum, unless the referendum determines otherwise.

Article 78. The procedure of holding republican and local referenda and a list of issues that may not be put to a referendum shall be determined by the law of the Republic of Belarus.