10 MPs vote against in Belarus parliament
The Oval Hall in Belarusian parliament. Photo: house.gov.by
10 out of 110 House of Representatives members voted against the amendments in the Law on International Treaties. This comes a surpise bold move on the part of the lawmakers in the usually loyal Belarusian parliament.
8 MPs did not vote at all. It is hard to confirm if they skipped the vote deliberately to show their position or simply were absent for some other reasons. As a result, the share of "No' lawmakers exceeded 10% of those participating in the vote!
According to the opposition United Civil Party MP Hanna Kanapackaja, debates were caused by Article 19 in the revised edition of the law that deals with financial assistance from international organizations. The revised law envisages some cases not stipulated in Belarusian laws when financial assistance from international organizations can be received only upon written approval of Aliaksandr Lukashenka who has to sign a special edict for that.
