Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko decided to sign a decree transferring power to the Security Council in an emergency. He announced this on Saturday, April 24, during a trip to the Gomel region.
According to him, he will sign the corresponding document in the coming days, BelTA agency reports.
The decree will determine the structure of power in emergency situations, and who, according to Lukashenka, will rule the state “if suddenly”. By this he meant the assassination of the country’s president, writes Gazeta.ru.
So, if something happens to the president, his duties will be performed by the prime minister who will be the chairman of the Security Council. In this case, all decisions will be made by secret ballot.
At the same time, the Security Council, according to the President of Belarus, will also make a decision on the prompt introduction of a state of emergency, up to a military one, in the event of threats from abroad.
“I have to foresee everything. Therefore, this decree will be signed. We will actually have a collective president in the form of the Security Council, ”Lukashenka said.
According to him, the decision was made a long time ago, “when it all unfolded.”
The President is the Chairman of the Security Council of Belarus. The Security Council includes Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, Chairman of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova, Chairman of the House of Representatives Vladimir Andreichenko, Head of the Presidential Administration Igor Sergeenko, State Secretary of the Security Council Alexander Volfovich, Interior Minister Ivan Kubrakov, Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin and KGB Chairman Ivan Tertel.
Last week, the Belarusian leader spoke about the arrest of a group whose members were planning to carry out a coup in the republic, as well as an attempt on the life of the head of state and his children. Lukashenko then emphasized that the American special services were involved in the conspiracy. The States denied these accusations.
In turn, the FSB of the Russian Federation announced the arrest in the Russian capital of those suspected of planning a rebellion in Belarus and an attempt on the life of Lukashenka and his family members. Among the detainees were Belarusian political scientist Alyaksandr Feduta and lawyer Yuriy Zenkovich. The service also published footage of their detention in a Moscow restaurant. According to the agency, the suspects were consulted in the United States and Poland.
According to the KBG of Belarus, Zenkovich pleaded guilty and is cooperating with the investigation. According to the head of the investigative department of the KGB of the republic, Konstantin Bychek, Zenkovich tried to recruit and bribe Belarusian servicemen who were ready to take part in the violent seizure of power in the country for money.
Four detainees in a criminal case on the preparation of an attempt on the life of Lukashenka and a coup d’etat were charged under Part 1 of Art. 357 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus, emphasized Bychek. This is a conspiracy to seize power in an unconstitutional way.
Commenting on the plan for a coup d’état in Belarus, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his annual message to the Federal Assembly that a large-scale cyberattack was probably being prepared in the republic. According to him, one can assess Lukashenka’s policy in different ways, but organizing a coup d’etat is “too much!”.