By the 100th anniversary of the USSR, Belarus will restore the Soviet political system

Vladislav Inozemtsev, political analyst, sociologist

On December, 30 we entered the hundredth year from the date of the signing of the Treaty on the Establishment of the Soviet Union. Recently, only the lazy is not talking about the return of elements of the Soviet worldview to our life, and the courts are passing sentences for denigrating the image of the USSR. However, even against this backdrop, one of the recent events went relatively - and unfairly - little noticed. I mean the publication of amendments to the Constitution of Belarus (and, in fact, a new text of this document) proposed for adoption in a referendum. Many commentators noted that it allows A. Lukashenko to remain the head of state until 2035 - but this is exactly what I would not call news.

It seemed more interesting to me otherwise. The draft Basic Law includes chapter 3 of section IV on the so-called. "All-Belarusian People's Assembly" - and acquaintance with it gives rise to memories of the essence of Soviet "democracy". As you know, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, according to Art. 112 of the Constitution of the USSR of 1977, it met in session only twice a year (the VNS is supposed to meet "at least once a year"), and at the end of the 1980s, when it was necessary to activate public life, the Congress of People's Deputies appeared , elections to which were made, including from the ruling party, and from public organizations (the draft Constitution of Belarus also involves multiple representation in the SNC ). At the same time, as in the USSR, real power turns out to be concentrated in the bodies created by the Supreme Council of the USSR (analogous to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR), and the new version of the Basic Law assumes that it is not he, but an additionally adopted legislative act that regulates the procedure for elections to the Supreme Council (which is a unique innovation , since there are practically no constitutions in the world that say nothing about the procedure for election to the highest body of representative power).

While Russia is sobbing about the past, the Soviet political system is being restored in Belarus. In my opinion, what is happening in Belarus is extremely important for us, since V. Putin is a fairly consistent student of A. Lukashenko ( six years ago I counted at least twenty Belarusian legislative innovations, which were then adopted in Russia - and since then some more were added to them, including the zeroing of the presidential terms through the adoption of amendments to the Constitution). It seems to me that the text published in Minsk says a lot about what the political system of Russia itself will be like in the future: the creation of a certain structure, not directly elected by citizens, but composed of various kinds of delegates and representatives, looks very likely in the future (this is partly done with the Federation Council, and such an experience may well be creatively developed). The Belarusian document offers an almost ideal version of the "looping" of bureaucratic structures, profanation of the people's representation and the complete withdrawal of any branches of government from the control of voters.

Many centuries ago, the ancient Neoplatonist Proclus, a supporter of the theory of eternal circulation, wrote: " Everything that emanates from a certain set of reasons returns through as many reasons as it emanates " (Procl. Of the First Principles of Theology, 38). It seems to me that post-Soviet authoritarian systems are developing precisely according to this principle: from the formally modern electoral system to estate representation, and from there - to the consolidation of the “natural” right of the elite to power. This path involves abandoning the rule of law and returning to dictatorship - which, in fact, is happening both in Belarus and in Russia...

Original: channel "Kremlin BezBashennik"