Recognizing the electoral rights of citizens of the two countries at the local level is a significant change for the better in the daily life of every Belarusian and Russian, an analyst of the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research said.
Participation of Belarusian citizens in the elections of Russian local governments is a significant contribution to shaping the human face of the Union integration. This opinion was voiced by Andrei Talerchik, an analyst of the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research, in an interview with a TASS correspondent.
"Ensuring equality of electoral rights at the local level for Belarusians and Russians is a significant contribution to shaping the "human face" of the Union integration. The comfort, well-being and tranquility of residents of the most remote settlements depend on the decisions and actions of local authorities - in our case, the legislative branch. It is no coincidence that local authorities in Belarus receive a lot of attention, including from President Alexander Lukashenko. The Belarusian head of state takes a principled position, demanding increased responsibility of local leaders to people in the regions, emphasizing their position at the "forefront" of interaction between government and society," he said.
According to the researcher, the mutual recognition of the electoral rights of citizens of the two countries at the local level is a significant change for the better in the daily life of every Belarusian and Russian. Talerchik called this a logical continuation of the work of the two countries, as a result of which citizens of Belarus and Russia have almost the same opportunities for employment, choice of place of residence, education, medical care and social security. The analyst reminded that when crossing the Belarusian-Russian border, Belarusians and Russians do not need to pass border control, customs inspection, or receive and fill out a migration card. As the expert noted, achieving such improvements has always been one of the pillars and priorities of building the Union State.
"Having made a number of breakthrough strategic integration steps at the country level over the past few years, Belarus and Russia are moving to a new stage of union building - the level of local governments as the most closely connected and influencing the lives of everyone in any region," he added.
Earlier, the Federation Council ratified the protocol on amendments to the agreement between Russia and Belarus on equal rights of citizens of December 25, 1998, which provides for the opportunity to participate in elections to local governments. The document was signed on March 13, 2025 in Moscow. The protocol stipulates that Belarusian citizens permanently residing in Russia will have the right to vote and be elected to Russian local government bodies. Citizens of the Russian Federation permanently residing in Belarus will have a similar opportunity (but in relation to Belarusian local self-government bodies).