Rules of Procedure of the Coordination Council

  1. Coordination Council is the unified representative body of the Belarusian people. Creation of the Council was initiated by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. The Council aims to organize the process of resolving the political crisis and ensure social cohesion, as well as to protect the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Belarus. The Council operates in accordance with the fundamental principles of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. The Council does not aim to seize state power in an unconstitutional manner, nor does it call to organize and prepare actions that disrupt public order.
  2. Members of the Council acknowledge that unacceptable violations were committed during the electoral campaign and tallying of the votes. They do not recognize the officially announced election results, consider the violent actions by law enforcement officers to be criminal, and advocate for the release of political prisoners.
  3. Members of the Council are prepared to voice the unequivocal position of the civil society with respect to the events in Belarus.
  4. Ms. Kavalkova and Mr. Znak (core members of the Coordination Council) receive applications for membership in the Coordination Council and conduct initial vetting, on behalf of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Applications from members of the expanded Coordination Council, who wish to become the Council’s core members, are subsequently processed by computer systems. Such systems ensure that candidates from the expanded Coordination Council, who provide reliable information about themselves and/or are members of the social groups underrepresented in the Council, can be selected by voting or random draw. A large number of voters are able to participate in the selection process. Inclusion in the core membership is also possible by decision of the Council.
  5. The core membership of the Coordination Council includes 110 individuals. Other applicants join the expanded Coordination Council. The core membership of the Council must be configured to include prominent Belarusians who are respected by various social groups.
  6. All Council members are Belarusian citizens and are ready to come to Minsk to participate in its meetings. Provided there is a valid excuse, core members of the Council and the Board are allowed to participate in meetings remotely. However, members must be present in Belarus during these meetings.
  7. 7 members of the Board are elected from among the core membership of the Coordination Council. Each core member of the Coordination Council nominates 7 candidates for the Board. The Board will include those nominees who receive the most votes.
  8. Board re-election and changes to the Rules of Procedures are decided by majority vote, which requires support of ¾ of the Council’s members. Council may choose to terminate one’s membership, if a member does not comply with the established operational principles, violates the Rules of Procedures or commits acts that discredit the Council.
  9. The Council and the Board make decisions by simple majority vote, based on the total membership. Board members vote to adopt all of Council’s decisions. If the Board cannot make a decision (including instances when Board members are arrested or located abroad), decisions are made promptly by voting in the Council’s official channel. Members of the Council can vote on draft decisions after deliberations (at least 4 hours) in the official channel. Draft decisions must include sufficient information and be drawn up in a way that enables decision making. They cannot contradict the Rules of Procedure and the Council’s Resolution. Voting on draft decisions is conducted within 24 hours. The decision is considered adopted when over 50% of core members (those who are not detained and located in Belarus) cast their vote. The Council forms working groups for different areas of work which include core members of the Council, as well as invited experts and specialists.
  10. The expanded Coordination Council includes all citizens of the Republic of Belarus who submitted applications and follow the general principles of the Council. They work via virtual platforms to prepare draft documents and decisions of the Coordination Council, as well as generate ideas for future work. Experts, specialists, volunteers and Belarusian citizens, including those located abroad, can participate in the activities of the working groups via these virtual platforms. These individuals should be willing to help the Council, its working groups and support their initiatives.
  11. Representatives of various faiths, prominent Belarusians who cannot currently travel to Belarus, and other persons can be invited to serve as Council Observers. Observers have the right to attend meetings and/or review some of the Council’s documentation.

Updated on September 6th, 2020.

Share this