More than 200 residents of the Vitebsk region have contacted public reception offices with initiatives, proposals, and remarks
Representatives of government bodies, the deputy corps, and leaders of public associations participate in the work of the reception offices. To popularize this form of consultative and dialogue platform, its activities are widely supported by information: schedules and operating modes are published on the websites of regional, city, and district executive committees, in the media, and on social media and messenger pages.
The reception offices have already received over 320 proposals and remarks on various aspects of the state and society's life. The most significant initiatives will be systematized and sent to the organizing committee of the Sixth All-Belarusian People's Assembly. Issues requiring specific solutions (on housing and communal services, road management, architecture, and construction) are sent for consideration within the competence of the relevant organizations in accordance with the legislation on citizens' and legal entities' appeals.
It should be noted that citizens have most actively used the potential of public reception offices to initiate proposals for amendments to the Constitution and legislative acts of the Republic of Belarus. Conditionally, they can be combined into three major blocks.
Firstly, these are initiatives on constitutional development and adjustment of the country's fundamental law. For example, reforming parliament into a unicameral one, electing deputies by party lists or introducing a mixed electoral system, raising the voting age to 21, increasing 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 approached the discussion of the country's future development is evidenced, for example, by the appeal to the editorial office by a resident of the regional center, Anatoly Prishchepov. We remind you that "VV" also collected proposals and initiatives within the framework of the ongoing public discussion. Anatoly Nikolaevich considers it necessary to adjust five articles of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. They regulate the relationship between the individual, society, and the state, are aimed at adjusting the electoral system, as well as the legislative activities of parliament. In particular, Anatoly Prishchepov proposes to supplement Article 100 of the Constitution with the following norm: no law that worsens the living conditions of citizens should be adopted.
The second major block combines proposals for improving the education system. Thus, citizens consider it necessary to clearly regulate the number of students in a 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, take measures to enhance the prestige of secondary vocational education, including by not requiring a mandatory higher education degree for employment in a number of specialties and positions.
The third block covers social initiatives. They address, in particular, the need to reinstate travel benefits 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, proposing to provide rental housing to foster families out of turn and raising issues of preferential housing privatization. Another initiative sounds particularly relevant on the eve of New Year's celebrations: if a public holiday coincides with a weekend (Saturday, Sunday), it is necessary to move the day off to the next working day after the holiday.