“Reasonable State Control”

“Local self-governance exists in Belarus and every citizen can influence what takes place in his town if he wishes to do so”. This quote comes from Mr. Anatoly Zavadsky, Head of Novopolotsk City Deputy Council.

Q: “Is there local self-governance in Belarus?”

A: “Yes, it definitely exists. Obviously, there are differences in this regard compared to our neighbours. Differences in forms of local self-governance exist even when compared to Russia, and even more so with our Western neighbours. However when we are having discussions with our colleagues from Lithuania or Latvia, now member countries of the European Union, we find a common language and understanding of the role these bodies play in life of society. There is common perception about what our tasks are: organising society in order to create decent living conditions taking into account local resources, human potential, geographical and geopolitical conditions and many other issues. I don’t think that people living in Belarus differ a lot from those living in Latvia or Estonia. It is just that the leaders of our countries have different views regarding development of society from historical and contemporary perspectives. Clearly, this influences the character and form of self-governance”.

Q: “Could you enumerate the features of Belarusian local self-governance?”

A: “Certainly. The Belarusian legislative framework provides for the existence of a Council of Deputies at all levels. The Deputies are elected directly by the inhabitants of defined territories in a process of open and transparent elections. Bodies of local self-governance such as Community Leaders Councils, housing and street committees also exist and are elected by the relevant members of the population. Analogous structures also exist in Europe. I would identify self-governance as a community using its own resources to address local needs and taking direct responsibility for outcomes. Progress depends on the level of awareness of the people and their engagement with civil activity. I believe this process is not standing still and that the level of activity of our citizens regarding local self-governance will increase.

The state bodies today pay a lot of attention to the concerns, complaints and petitions of citizens. We receive them by post or in the course of field missions, meetings with the electorate or members of working collectives. The issues thus raised have a direct influence on our activities, in many cases resulting in concrete decisions. Any citizen willing to make the effort can influence what is being undertaken in his house, in his street or in his town. Isn’t this a definitive feature of self-governance?”

Q: “One of the functions of Councils is to approve local budgets. However the local budgets are in fact dictated from ‘above’ in Belarus…”

“Budgets are formed based upon set amounts allocated to each region from central state resources. If that is what you are referring to then yes, that is indeed so. I believe, every country in the world maintains a reasonable level of state control in all regions and in all spheres of the economy. We formulate our budget based upon the resources available to us. Budget funds are used to address issues that we identify and prioritise for ourselves. This is, incidentally, another illustration of the existence of local self-governance in Belarus.

Previously, only oblasts, cities and regions had their own budgets, however starting this year budgets have also been devolved to Councils of the primary level, i.e. villages and settlements. This constitutes another step towards the development of local self-governance. It is easier now for village Councils to address material issues in the interests of the local population”.

Q: “Do local Councils today have enough authority to have real influence?”

A: “Real possibilities to influence local situations depend upon the financial resources of the Council. I haven’t said anything new here: there are things that can be done within the amounts available, i.e. within the limits of the local budget. However I think one should live according to his means. One has to evaluate local capabilities and develop proportionally relevant spheres of the local economy. Deputies have significant authority concerning the distribution and allocation of available funds; the Council is free to use its budget autonomously. For the last ten years the competence of primary level Councils has been changing in Belarus. The legal framework develops and we receive new powers to supplement the budget. For instance, we can auction unused land or rent it out, sell communal property or introduce local taxes. Therefore there are new ways emerging for obtaining new resources for addressing local needs”.

Q: “What are the relations between the Local Council and the Executive Committee? Who makes the final decisions?

A: “All decisions are made after the issue has been assessed by experts who work for the Executive Committee and have profound knowledge of the local economy. After their assessment, the issue is presented to the Deputies. In the process of debate, which is sometimes heated, the decision is made democratically and then becomes a local law.

Therefore, taking part in the process of making such decisions are both representatives of the executive committee (i.e. ‘vertical authorities’) and the Deputies of the Local Council working in partnership. Believe me, the process of making decisions is very important and no-one treats it indifferently. Most particularly, the town population being represented by the Deputies of the Deputy Council”.

Q: “There are no representatives of the opposition on the Councils…”

 A: “Elections are processes where representatives of different political movements take place and opposition candidates participate in the process. Who is elected by the people at the end of the process is a different matter. There are representatives of various professions in our Council: doctors, teachers, social workers, scientists, transport and communication experts, builders and industrial workers. Many of them have significant experience in management or life experience in general and they understand the problems of their town very well. There are two young people who haven’t yet reached their thirties. One of them, Vadim Deviatovsky, is a famous Belarusian sportsman who won a silver medal at the World Athletics Championship… Why am I mentioning all this?

My idea is simple, first of all, Deputies are not politicians, they are citizens and representatives of other town inhabitants who were elected to become Council Deputies. I am convinced that the principal issue here is that our Deputies represent a wide variety of the spheres of life of the city rather than political movements.

All issues within our City Council are addressed in an open, transparent and democratic manner. I haven’t noticed any political colouration to be honest. Recently, in the course of the last meeting of Novopolotsk City Council there were representatives of opposition parties and we were all working together. There was nothing embarrassing or scary about the fact that a person with different views on life was present and was working with us. He was primarily there as a person living in our town and he was working for the townspeople's benefit. That is the primary goal of  local self-governance”.

By Andrei Aliaksandrau

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