Council of the Republic (Belarus)

The House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Палата прадстаўнікоў Нацыянальнага сходу Рэспублікі Беларусь; Russian: Палата представителей Национального собрания Республики Беларусь) is the lower house of the parliament of Belarus, while the upper house is the Council of the Republic. It was established after the Constitution of Belarus was amended in 1996, replacing the Supreme Council of Belarus.It consists of 110 deputies elected to four year terms on the basis of direct electoral suffrage by secret ballot (art. 91). It is a majoritarian system, with the outcome decided by overall majorities in single-member constituencies. Any citizen of 21 years is eligible for election (art. 92). The functions of the House are to consider draft laws and the other business of government; it must approve the nomination of a prime minister (art. 97); and it may deliver a vote of no confidence on the government (art. 97).

The Government House or House of Government (Belarusian: Дом урада, Russian: Дом правительства) is a government building in Minsk located on Independence Square. It houses the National Assembly of Belarus and its two chambers: the Council of the Republic and the House of Representatives (located in the right wing). The National Assembly is one of the highest organs of national power and symbolism in the country. It was built in 1934 and designed by Iosif Langbard. It stands behind a statue of Vladimir Lenin and is one of the few buildings that survived the Great Patriotic War.

The National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Нацыянальны сход Рэспублікі Беларусь, romanized: Nacyjanalny schod Respubliki Bielaruś; Russian: Национальное собрание Республики Беларусь, romanized: Natsionalnoye sobran'ye Respubliki Belarus') is the bicameral parliament of Belarus. The two chambers of the National Assembly are: the Council of the Republic – the upper house the House of Representatives – the lower house.While each chamber has specific duties, both chambers have the ability to veto the decrees of local administrations that deviate from the Constitution of Belarus. The chambers of the National Assembly are convened to two regular sessions every year: the first session opens 2 October and its duration cannot be more than 80 days; the second session opens 2 April and does not last more than 90 days. The House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic may be convened to an extraordinary session. Extraordinary sessions are convened under a particular agenda upon an initiative of the President or upon a request of at least two-thirds majority of the full membership of each of the chambers.Any bill must be initially considered in the House of Representatives and then in the Council of the Republic. In practice, the National Assembly has no real power. The Belarusian political system concentrates all governing power in the hands of President Alexander Lukashenko. Notably, the National Assembly has no control over government spending; according to the Constitution, any bill that increases or decreases spending can only be considered with presidential permission. Presidential decrees have greater weight than ordinary legislation. However, since it took its current form in 1996, the National Assembly has been dominated by Lukashenko's supporters in any event, and there is no substantive opposition to presidential decisions.Its predecessor was the Supreme Council of Belarus (until 1996).

Maksim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University also known as BSPU (Belarusian: Беларускі дзяржаўны педагагічны ўніверсітэт імя Максіма Танка) is a university in Minsk, Belarus. It specialises in teacher training of mathematics, chemistry, physics, psychology, geography, history, languages and others for primary and secondary schools.

The Church of Saints Simon and Helena (Belarusian: Касьцёл сьвятых Сымона і Алены; Polish: Kościół św. Szymona i św. Heleny w Mińsku), also known as the Red Church (Belarusian: Чырвоны касьцёл; Polish: Czerwony Kościół), is a Roman Catholic church on Independence Square in Minsk, Belarus. This neo-Romanesque church was designed by Polish architects Tomasz Pajzderski and Władysław Marconi. The cornerstone was laid in 1905 and the church was completed in 1910. The bricks for its walls were sourced from Częstochowa, whilst the roof tiles came from Włocławek. Its construction was financed by Edward Woyniłłowicz (1847–1928), a prominent Belarusian-Polish landowner, businessman and civic activist. The church was named and consecrated in memory of Woyniłłowicz's two deceased children, Szymon and Helena.

Independence Square (Belarusian: Плошча Незалежнасці, Russian: Площадь независимости) is a square in Minsk, Belarus. It is one of the landmarks on Independence Avenue. The National Assembly of Belarus and Minsk City Hall are on this square. During the period of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic it was called Lenin Square. It is currently one of the largest squares in Europe.

The Minsk Metro (Belarusian: Мінскі метрапалітэн, Russian: Минский метрополитен) is a rapid transit system that serves Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Opened in 1984, it presently consists of 3 lines and 33 stations, totaling 40.8 kilometres (25.4 mi). In 2013, the system carried 328.3 million passengers, which averages to a daily ridership of approximately 899,450.

The Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Міністэрства фінансаў Рэспублікі Беларусь, romanized: Ministerstva finansaŭ Respubliki Bielaruś; Russian: Министерство финансов Республики Беларусь) is the Belarusian government ministry which coordinates state financial policy and oversees the regulation of securities in Belarus. The current Minister of Finance is Yuri Seliverstov.

The Research Institute for Nuclear Problems of Belarusian State University (INP BSU) is a research institute in Minsk, Belarus. Its main fields of research are nuclear physics, particle physics, materials science and nanotechnology.

The Minsk Detention Center No. 1 or SIZO No. 1 (Russian: СИЗО №1, Belarusian: СІЗА №1), informally known as Volodarka, Belarusian pronunciation: Valadarka (Валадарка), is the central prison of the Republic of Belarus located in Minsk.

Ploshcha Lyenina (Belarusian: Плошча Леніна; Russian: Площадь Ленина; "Lenin Square") is a Minsk Metro station.

The Faculty of International Relations of the Belarusian State University (Belarusian: Факультэт міжнародных адносін) was founded in 1995. The faculty trains specialists in the following areas: international relations, international law, world economy, management of international tourism, customs, linguistica and area studies, modern foreign languages and cultural studies. Dean of the Faculty - professor, doctor of historical sciences Shadursky Victor Gennadievich.