MPs approve Siarhei Rumas as Belarus' Prime Minister

Photo: БЕЛТА
Photo: БЕЛТА

The members of the Belarusian parliament on Friday approved the candidature of Siarhei Rumas as the country's new Prime Minister. Like Rumas himself forecast in his comments to Euroradio on Tuesday, the parliamentarians "expressed their consent" to his appointment." Out of 106 MPs. 105 voted in favor, one was nay.

Siarhei Rumas was considered by the parliament for the post one and a half months after the appointment by President Aliaksandr Lukashenka to replace the dismissed Andrei Kabyakou. Since 18 August, Rumas has headed the government without approval from the House of Representatives. Under the Constitution, the prime minister is appointed by the head of state 'at the consent of the House of Representatives.' In the view of the ex-head of the Constitutional Court, one of the authors of the currently active Constitution and the head of Constitutional law at the Law Faculty of Belarus State University Ryhor Vasilevich, there were no law violations in the appointment.

Very few believed that the MPs could make a demarche and vote against the candidature appointed by Lukashenka.