The number of marriage contracts concluded in the Vitebsk region increased 1.7 times

January 14, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The number of marriage contracts concluded in the Vitebsk region in 2010 increased 1.7 times compared to 2009. Last year, notaries of the region certified 338 marriage contracts, compared to 194 in 2009, Marina Bykova, Deputy Head of the Main Justice Department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, told a BELTA correspondent. Belarusians gained the opportunity to sign a marriage contract in 1999 with the adoption of the Code of Marriage and Family, Article 13 of which states: "In order to strengthen marriage and family, improve the culture of family relations, realize the rights and obligations of spouses, and responsibility for children and for each other, persons entering into marriage and spouses may conclude a marriage contract." Statistics on the conclusion of contracts have been kept since 2009. Along with marriage contracts, the number of alimony payment agreements has increased in the region. If in 2009 state and private notaries certified 7 agreements, then in 2010 - already 25. According to Marina Bykova, the increase in the number of contracts and agreements indicates an increase in the legal awareness of citizens and is an indicator of the legal culture of society. In total, in the Vitebsk region in 2010, state notary offices performed more than 103 thousand notarial actions, and private notaries performed over 17 thousand. State notaries began to certify more alienation of land plots agreements, powers of attorney, executed executive inscriptions, issued certificates of inheritance, and certificates of ownership of a share in the common property of spouses. Private notaries saw an increase in the number of certified agreements for the alienation of capital buildings with land plots and pledge agreements. As of January 1, 2011, the staff number of state notaries in the region is 93 people, and 6 private notaries also work. 32 state notary offices serve the population. -0-