If Lukashenka dies, who will take power? Here's what law says

Lukashenka did not look very cheerful at the May 9 parade in Moscow, then hurried back to Minsk, and in the evening, he even refused to give a speech. In addition, a bandage on his arm, photographed by Russian correspondents, raised many questions. This led to heated discussions among Belarusians, including the quite reasonable (but so far not quite realistic) question: who will take power if Lukashenka dies?

Nobody has an answer to this question, but the exact order of the "succession to the throne" is laid down in the legislation. Here's how it should be, at least according to the law.

So, who takes power?

If we imagine that Belarus is a state governed by the rule of law, then all the basic procedures related to the power structure and the country are written in the Constitution.

In the current edition of the Constitution (the one that was changed after the 2022 referendum), Article 88 answers the question "What will happen if Lukashenka dies?".

"In case of a vacancy in the office of the President or his inability to perform his duties on the grounds stipulated by the Constitution, his powers shall be transferred to the Chairman of the Council of the Republic until the newly elected President is sworn in," says the Basic Law.

If the President dies due to an assassination attempt, everything is a little more complicated: the most important decisions are made by the Council of the Republic, which is chaired by the same President of the Council of the Republic. Then a state of emergency or martial law will have to be declared. However, we will concentrate on the "peaceful" scenario.

In the previous edition of the constitution, the powers of the president were transferred to the prime minister. In the 1994 constitution it is the speaker of the lower house of parliament who gets the power.

And the prize goes to... the plumbers

Who's the head of the Council of the Republic now? Natallya Kachanava, an engineer by training, who began her work at "vodokanal" in Polatsk and later held the positions of deputy prime minister and head of Lukashenka's administration.

Что будет, когда Лукашенко умрёт? Объясняем, как должно быть по закону

Kachanava - to the left from Lukashenka / BelTA/Reuters

If everything happens strictly according to the Constitution, Kachanava will have to perform the duties of the head of state - of course, if she is still the speaker of the Council of the Republic at that time.

Kachanava becomes president, and then what?

Since we're already imagining that the constitution will be implemented in Belarus, Lukashenka will suddenly disappear and Natallya Kachanava will take his place, the question arises: what will happen next, how long will she rule?