Constitution: leafing through the pages of history

From March 5 to March 25, the thematic book exhibition "Constitution: leafing through the pages of history" dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus is open in the legal information reading room (room 207b).

The Constitution of Belarus was adopted on March 15, 1994 by the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus and is the fifth Constitution of Belarus (after the October Revolution of 1917) and the first in the history of the sovereign republic. The Belarusian Constitution belongs to the model of post-socialist constitutions. It has formed everything that has been developed by the theory and practice of constitutional construction, consolidated in constitutional norms a number of generally recognized principles of international law. The practice of its application has proved the viability and balance of the Basic Law. At the same time, the political and socio-economic realities and the need for social development necessitated the radical modernization of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. On February 27, 2022, a republican referendum was held on the issue of amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. Despite the large volume and cross-cutting nature of the amendments and additions, the Constitution is not set out in a new version, which emphasizes the constitutional and legal continuity in the foundations of the constitutional system. Innovations develop generally accepted norms, respond to the demands of society, reflect the political, legal and value picture of the Belarusian state and society. The Constitution, as a product of the state, reflects the level of development of the whole society, the nature of the power relations that developed at the time of its adoption, embodies the historical experience of the formation of the Belarusian statehood.

The exhibition exhibits more than 70 documents in Russian and Belarusian. Among the documents presented are normative legal acts, comments, collections of articles and abstracts, materials of reports and scientific and practical conferences, analytical reviews, seminars and round tables, monographs, abstracts of dissertations.

The exhibition includes the following thematic sections:

• The value paradigm of the Constitution of Belarus
• The history of the creation of the fifth Constitution of the Republic of Belarus: stages, projects, adoption
• Constitutional reform in the Republic of Belarus: challenges, problems and prospects
• The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Belarus: implementation of control and human rights functions
• The Constitution as the basis for the improvement and development of Belarusian legislation
• The essence of the Basic Law in the context of social values

The exhibition is addressed to legislators, researchers, teachers, graduate students and students of law and history faculties, political scientists, human rights defenders, deputies and anyone interested in the problems and history of the formation of constitutional law and justice in the Republic of Belarus.

Useful links:

• The Constitution of Belarus
• Acts of the Belarusian People's Republic
• Acts of the period of restoration of the Belarusian statehood
• Acts of the RSFSR in relation to Belarus of 1917-1918

The opening hours of the exhibition corresponds to the library’s opening hours.
Entrance to the exhibition is available by the library ticket or ticket of the library's social and cultural center.

Phone for inquiries: (+37517) 293 27 28.

The material was provided by the Official Documents Service Department.