Council of the Republic (Belarus)

The Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus (Савет Рэспублікі Нацыянальнага сходу Рэспублікі Беларусь; Совет Республики Национального собрания Республики Беларусь) is the upper house of the parliament of Belarus.

History
It was established after the Constitution of Belarus was amended in 1996 following a referendum, replacing the Supreme Council of Belarus.

Qualifications
To be elected to the Council, an individual must be at least 30 years of age, a citizen of the republic and of no other country, have residency in an oblast or the Minsk City for at least 5 years, and have no criminal record.

Election
The Council consists of 64 members, and the representation is based geographically, with each oblast (six) and the city of Minsk (the national capital) represented by eight members, and an additional eight members are appointed to the Council via presidential quota. Elections are indirect, with members being elected by the deputies of the popularly elected regional councils of deputies by secret ballot in a two-round system if necessary. A candidate must receive the votes of over 50% of the deputies seated to be elected.