President decision is strengthened Union State

On July 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Federal Law “On ratification of the protocol on amendments to an agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus on equal rights of citizens of December 25, 1998”. As a result, citizens of the two countries received the right to elect and be elected to local authorities in the territory of the Union State.

This event was commented on by the candidate of political sciences, expert analyst of the Center for Geopolitical Research "Berlek-Delinth", associate professor of UGNU, lecturer of the Russian Society "Knowledge" Arthur Suleimanov.

“This decision causes only approval, because it is aimed at strengthening Eurasian integration and the Union State. Thanks to this initiative, the electoral activity and involvement of the citizens of the two countries in solving local problems increases. This is one of the socio-political dimensions of the Union State, allowing not only to deepen Russian-Belarusian cooperation, but also to improve the quality of representation.

In Russia, only about 2% of the population do not have active suffrage, which is spelled out in the relevant federal law. This is probably one of the lowest electoral qualifications around the world. In most countries, we are talking about 10-15%.

Now, citizens of Belarus who constantly live on the territory of Russia are connected to the local level elections at the local level, which, of course, will affect the increase in the level of participation in the electoral process. The Russians received similar right in Belarus. This is indeed an important point for a more accurate reflection of positions in local policy.

Within the framework of the Union State, a lot of work is being carried out on the creation of a single legal and economic space. Let me remind you that earlier an agreement with Russia on legal mutual assistance was ratified by Belarus, according to which a special procedure for their recognition will not be required to execute court decisions in another country. Such decisions allow the union state to create conditions for stable development and form a unified policy in the field of protecting the rights of citizens of the two countries,” says Arthur Suleimanov.

Author: Roman Yakimchuk