• A new law is needed to return influence over decisions to the people near their homes and move away from the current “vertical” system, where everything is decided from above. Today, local executive committees report not to residents but to the President and other higher authorities, so important issues are passed down from the top.

• The draft law proposes a different foundation: real decentralization and the principle of handling matters locally that are best solved on-site. Local budgets and property cease to be part of the national budget and instead become real community resources. Citizens’ participation in decision-making is established as a norm. As a result, decisions will be closer, more transparent, and easier to understand for every Belarusian.

• Currently, the system of regions (oblasts), districts (rajons), and village councils (selsavets) is inefficient. Village councils are weak because they have little money or authority, depending on the district and rarely making important decisions themselves. Districts are burdened with “handpicked” instructions for the heads of district executive committees, even personal responsibility for failing enterprises, so the agenda focuses on vertical campaigns rather than real local programs. Regions make decisions from afar, often not seeing local realities and offering solutions far from people’s needs.

• The two-tier Pawet–Hramada model fixes this. A Hramada is a community: a town or a group of nearby villages and settlements, usually with 15–20 thousand residents. Here, issues close to people and requiring quick response are resolved. A Pawet is a union of several Hramadas, usually 300–350 thousand residents, for larger projects that are more efficient to handle together: shared roads, hospitals, and major projects. The Pawet is not a boss over Hramadas but a partner and amplifier, stepping in where a single Hramada lacks resources.

• Experts estimate there will be about two hundred Hramadas and about twenty Pawets in the country. This brings powers and resources closer to the people, making local authorities more sustainable and financially independent. The principle is simple: each task is handled at the level where it is faster, cheaper, and more effective. This reduces bureaucracy, clarifies responsibility, and benefits every Belarusian.

• Participatory Budgeting is when part of the local budget is allocated directly by local residents. Residents propose projects for their Hramada, vote on them, and decide what to prioritize — from public amenities to small local initiatives. This is not a request “upwards” but a clear procedure where funds go according to residents’ choices.

• In the draft law, this is formalized as follows: the Hramada Rada approves the rules for the process, and funding comes from the Hramada budget for projects that can realistically be completed in one fiscal year. This makes local governance more transparent and gives each resident a straightforward tool to influence how public funds are spent.

• No. The draft includes an equalization mechanism to ensure each Hramada and Pawet has enough funds for basic services and development, even if their own revenue is low. The state helps form local budgets, monitors lawful and efficient spending, and guarantees a minimally sufficient revenue base. According to clear rules, any shortfall is supplemented so that service standards do not “drop” in less affluent communities.

• At the same time, local funds remain within the Hramada. No one takes money from neighbors. Additional support comes from the national budget. Minimum local budget levels are calculated per resident, considering territorial economic, social, and natural characteristics. This ensures the gap does not become a chasm, and every Belarusian receives basic services at a proper level, wherever they live.

• Delegated competence is the powers of state administration bodies transferred to local self-government bodies by law. The powers can be delegated by the state through law, or by a neighboring Hramada or Pawet via cooperation agreements. The key is that resources are transferred with the task. This is not a “top-down command” but a lawful and transparent delegation of responsibility with funding.

• An organic law is a law that translates constitutional norms into clear, everyday rules. The Constitution sets the framework, and the organic law gives it concrete content.

• The Draft Constitution specifies that the Sojm adopts three types of laws: constitutional, organic, and ordinary, each with its own threshold for adoption.

• An ordinary law is passed by a simple majority of those participating in the vote, but at least one-third of the constitutional composition of parliament.

• An organic law requires a majority of the full constitutional composition of the Sojm, making it harder to pass but easier to protect from situational changes.

• A constitutional law has the highest barrier: it is approved in the third reading by three-fifths of the constitutional composition, and amendments to the main sections additionally require a referendum.

• Essentially, the deeper a law interferes with the structure of power, the broader the consensus required for its adoption. This ensures the predictability and stability of the rules that affect every Belarusian.

You can discuss the draft and propose amendments on several open platforms:

• on the website https://prastora.info

• in the SVAE mobile app (in the “Belarus Constitution Project” community)

• and on the Try Slany platform http://tryslany.com

On each platform, you can leave a comment on a specific article or provide general feedback — anonymously or under your name. All platforms protect personal data. Proposals collected from these resources are regularly gathered and forwarded to the Working Group for consideration.