Belarus

Council of the Republic

Political system
Presidential-Parliamentary
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
Yes

Data on women

Information on the current and historical representation of women in the parliament. Consult the 'Elections' tab to see how women have fared in elections or renewals.

Current representation

Women's representation in the current parliament or chamber

Current number of members
59
Women
18
Percentage of women
30.5%

Speaker

Speaker
Natalya Kochanova (Female)
Date of birth: 25 Sep 1960
Additional information

Elected on 6 Dec. 2019, re-elected on 12 April 2024.

Secretary general

No information available

Chairs of specialized bodies

Specialized body Theme Name Sex Age
Finance Committee Finance Runec Tatyana Female 54

Data on age at the start of the legislature

Number of members, by age (2024-04)
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Male No information available
Female
Total <= 45: - Total >= 46: -
Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal Overall Male Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger
- - -
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger
- - -
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger
- - -

Reserved seats and quotas

There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
No
Electoral quota for women
No

First woman in parliament

Year of first woman in parliament
1990

Notes: 1990: The Soviet Supreme of the SSR of Belarus became the first legislature of Belarus after the country became independent on 25 August 1991. Belarus women were previously elected to the Supreme Soviet of the SSR of Belarus and to the Parliament of the USSR. Elections just before independence

First woman speaker

Year of first woman speaker
2019

Women’s suffrage

Date of independence
1991
Women’s right to vote
1991
Restricted or universal suffrage
Universal

Notes: Prior to independence, under Soviet administration women in Belarus were granted universal suffrage on 4 February 1919, when Belarus was a part of the USSR. In the RSFSR which, at the time claimed sovereignty over Belarus, women were granted the right to vote in 1918. This right was confirmed at independence.

Women's right to stand for election
1919
Restricted or universal
No information available

Women's caucus

Women's caucuses or parliamentary groups that bring together women parliamentarians to strengthen cooperation and amplify their voices. For other parliamentary bodies or committees that have a specific mandate to address gender equality matters, see the ‘Specialized body – Gender equality’ tab.

There is currently no women's caucus in this chamber.

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No