Homel Regional Council of Deputies

The Homel Regional Council of Deputies (Belarusian: Гомельскі абласны савет дэпутатаў; Russian: Гомельский областной Совет депутатов) is the local representative and legislative body for Homel Region in Belarus. It is commonly abbreviated as Homel Oblast Council. The council consists of 60 deputies elected through a majoritarian system, and deputies serve four-year terms. As a regional council of deputies, it operates within the framework of Belarusian local self-government and exercises powers defined by Article 121 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. The council's responsibilities include approving programs for the economic and social development of Homel Region, adopting and overseeing the regional budget, establishing local taxes and fees, determining the management and disposal of communal property, calling local referendums, approving the candidate for chairman of the Homel Regional Executive Committee (who is appointed by the President of Belarus), and electing eight members of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus from Homel Region. The council maintains permanent commissions covering mandate and oversight; economics, budget, finance and communal property; agrarian issues, ecology and overcoming the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster; social issues; development and improvement of settlements; local self-government; and legality and law and order. Its leadership includes a chairman and a deputy chairman. The council also engages in international cooperation, having agreements with legislative or representative bodies in Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Russia, Italy, Czechia, Armenia, China and other countries. Elections to the 27th convocation were held on 23 March 2014, resulting in 60 elected deputies. Only one political party, the Communist Party of Belarus (CPB), was represented, with all other members being non-partisan. Following the local council elections of 18 February 2018, voter turnout in Homel Region was 80.75%, with 885,950 voters participating out of 1,097,164 registered. Seven members of political parties entered the regional council: three from the Communist Party, two from the Republican Party of Labour and Justice, and two from the Social Democratic Party of People's Agreement. The council's history is tied to the broader Soviet-era development of local governance in the region. A memorial plaque at the Rumyantsev-Paskevich Palace in Homel notes that the Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies met there and proclaimed Soviet power in the city in November 1917. In October 1916, anti-war unrest occurred among soldiers, Cossacks and sailors at the Homel transit point barracks. In September 1917, a crowd of demoralized soldiers nearly destroyed the Homel Soviet meeting in the Paskevich Palace, forcing Mensheviks, including future RSFSR Supreme Council of National Economy chairman Pyotr Bogdanov, to flee through a back entrance. Today the Homel Regional Council of Deputies continues to function as a regional legislative body under the Belarusian political system, with its current leadership including Chairwoman Ekaterina Anatolyevna Zenkevich and Deputy Chairman Oleg Anatolyevich Ivantsov. It also has eight members serving in the Council of the Republic from Homel Region.

The Homel Regional Council of Deputies traces its institutional roots to the revolutionary period in Homel. A memorial plaque at the Rumyantsev-Paskevich Palace in Homel states that the Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies met there and proclaimed the victory of Soviet power in the city in November 1917. In October 1916, spontaneous anti-war unrest broke out among soldiers, Cossacks and sailors in the barracks of the Homel transit point (now the "Trud" factory on Uprising Square); the trigger was an officer striking a Don Cossack who had escaped from German captivity. In September 1917, a crowd of demoralized soldiers nearly destroyed the Homel Soviet, which was meeting in the Paskevich Palace. The Mensheviks, who advocated continuing the war "to a victorious end," were forced to flee through a back entrance; among them was Pyotr Bogdanov, future chairman of the Supreme Council of the National Economy of the RSFSR. In the post-Soviet period, the council became the regional legislative body of Homel Region within the Republic of Belarus. Under Article 121 of the Belarusian Constitution, the council exercises defined powers, including approval of economic and social development programs, the regional budget and reports on their implementation; establishment of local taxes and fees; determination of the procedure for managing and disposing of communal property; calling local referendums; approval of the candidate for chairman of the Homel Regional Executive Committee appointed by the President of Belarus; and election of eight members of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus from Homel Region. The council is composed of 60 deputies elected by a majoritarian system for four-year terms. Elections to the 27th convocation took place on 23 March 2014, with 60 deputies elected. Only one political party, the Communist Party of Belarus (CPB), was represented; all other members were non-partisan. Following the local council elections of 18 February 2018, the number of voters in Homel Region was 1,097,164. A total of 885,950 voters participated, or 80.75% of those included in voter lists. Seven members of political parties entered the regional council: three members of the Communist Party, two members of the Republican Party of Labour and Justice, and two members of the Social Democratic Party of People's Agreement. The council operates through permanent commissions: mandate and oversight; economics, budget, finance and communal property; agrarian issues, ecology and overcoming the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster; social issues; development and improvement of settlements; local self-government; and legality and law and order. Its leadership includes a chairman and a deputy chairman. The council also maintains international cooperation, having a number of agreements with other legislative or representative bodies of Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Russia, Italy, Czechia, Armenia, China and other countries. Eight members of the Council of the Republic represent Homel Region.

• October 1916: Anti-war unrest among soldiers, Cossacks and sailors at the Homel transit point barracks.

• September 1917: A crowd of demoralized soldiers nearly destroyed the Homel Soviet meeting in the Paskevich Palace.

• November 1917: The Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies proclaimed the victory of Soviet power in Homel.

• 23 March 2014: Elections to the 27th convocation of the council were held, with 60 deputies elected.

• 18 February 2018: Local council elections held; voter turnout in Homel Region was 80.75%.

Regional legislative and representative body of Homel Region, Belarus

1. 1Homel Regional Council of Deputies - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Гомельский областной Совет депутатов - Wikipedia (Russian)ru.wikipedia.org