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Head of STV television company named member of Council of Republic

Alyaksandr Lukashenka on Thursday issued a presidential edict appointing Yury Kaziyatka, director general of the STV state television company, to be a member of the Council of the Republic (upper parliamentary chamber).

The constitution entitles the head of state to appoint eight members to the 64-seat Council of the Republic, whereas the remaining 56 members, eight members from each region and the city of Minsk, are elected to four-year terms by secret ballot on the basis of equal and indirect suffrage at meetings of members of the base-level local soviets in the area.

In October, Syamyon Shapira, chairman of the Hrodna Regional Executive Committee, became the first member of the new Council of the Republic to be appointed by the head of state.

The other 56 members, elected in September, include the heads of the regional governments of the other five regions of Belarus: Kanstantsin Sumar, head of the Brest Regional Executive Committee; Uladzimir Dvornik, head of the Homyel Regional Executive Committee; Alyaksandr Kosinets, head of the Vitsyebsk Regional Executive Committee; Barys Batura, head of the Minsk Regional Executive committee; Pyotr Rudnik, head of the Mahilyow Regional Executive Committee; as well as Mikalay Ladutska, head of the Minsk City Executive Committee. //BelaPAN