Voting begins for referendum on amending Belarus constitution

Minsk, Feb 27 (IANS) The main voting for a nationwide referendum on amending the country's constitution began in Belarus on Sunday morning.The voting started at 8 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and will last until 8 p.m. (1700 GMT).According to the Central Electoral Commission of Belarus, the turnout has already reached 42.93 per cent among those who voted early, Xinhua news agency reported.The referendum will be considered valid if more than half of the eligible voters cast their ballots.On January 20, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree calling for a referendum on amending the constitution.The draft of the new Constitution states that the All-Belarusian People's Assembly becomes the highest representative power in Belarus. In addition, the clauses on the "non-nuclear" and "neutral" status of Belarus have been removed from the new draft.
--IANS int/sks

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