Civil Partnership Institution
Couples who cannot or will not marry are left without inheritance, without a pension, and without the right to be at a partner's bedside. What we would change, across 11 laws.
Art. 32
of the Constitution defines marriage solely as a union of a man and a woman — which is what blocks legal recognition of any other partnership
Art. 26
of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantees equality and non-discrimination. Belarus is a party to it
11
legal acts — from the Constitution to healthcare legislation — would need amending for the reform to work
Who this is for
Same-sex couples
Cannot marry at all, and so have no legal recognition of their relationship whatsoever.
Unregistered couples
Live together for years and share a household, yet in law they are strangers to each other.
Those who will not marry on principle
Couples who cannot or do not wish to marry for religious or other reasons.
What they are denied today
Joint property
No claim on what was built together, and no rules for dividing it.
Inheritance
A partner does not inherit — not even after decades together.
Hospital and care
No right to visit, to be told their condition, or to decide for them if they cannot.
Pensions and social guarantees
No survivor's pension, no leave to care for a sick partner, no comparable guarantees.
What the reform is for
Recognise partnerships in law
A dedicated law on civil partnerships: how they are entered, ended, and what follows in law.
Equal rights for every couple
Regardless of sexual orientation, across the areas that bear on family life.
Protect property and personal rights
Inheritance, shared property, medical care, maintenance — and protection for the weaker partner.
A social support programme
Education, advice, psychological and social support — to reduce discrimination, not merely acknowledge it.
How it would be done
- 1
An interdepartmental working group
The ministries of justice, labour, health and internal affairs, alongside human-rights defenders, the LGBTQ+ community and legal experts.
- 2
A draft law
Grounded in international standards and the experience of countries that have already legalised partnerships.
- 3
Broad public consultation
Before the bill reaches parliament at all.
- 4
Parliament, then the president's signature
After which the government is responsible for enforcement and the social programmes.
- 5
Education programmes
Human rights and non-discrimination in schools and universities; professional training for judges, medics and social workers.
The laws that would change
- 01
The Constitution — article 32, which fixes marriage as a union of a man and a woman
- 02
The Marriage and Family Code — entering and ending a partnership, rights and duties, custody, division of property, maintenance
- 03
The Civil Code — property relations and inheritance rights
- 04
The Tax Code — reliefs and obligations on the same footing as spouses
- 05
The Labour Code — leave to care for a sick partner and other workplace guarantees
- 06
The State Social Insurance Act — equal access to pensions and benefits
- 07
The Act on the status of foreign nationals — recognition of partnerships formed abroad
- 08
Child protection legislation — custody, adoption and social security
- 09
The Civil Registration Act — registering partnerships at the registry office
- 10
Healthcare legislation — visiting a partner, access to information and treatment decisions
- 11
The Pensions Act — survivor's pension
This is not a private matter between two people; it is a question of who the state leaves unprotected. While the law recognises only one form of family, thousands are left without inheritance, without a survivor's pension, and without the right to be at a partner's bedside. Equality before the law and social guarantees are not a privilege for some — they are what a society owes everyone.