Dictator: We have no time and need to act fast

The government should be a collegiate body with ministers acting as the main link.

Lukashenka said it introducing new Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov to MPs at the sixth special session of the House of Representatives.

"The biggest task for the Prime Minister is to coordinate the work. Simply put, he should organize the work in such a way so that a deputy prime minister could not act in the same old way and give production guidelines to ministers thus tying them hand and foot, depriving them of a possibility to act independently,” he said.

Lukashenka added that on his instructions the government is preparing necessary changes to the regulatory framework. "I want them to present these changes soon. We have no time and need to act fast,” he said.

"The main area of responsibility of a minister in the manufacturing industry is to create the conditions for industrial enterprises, in agriculture for agricultural organizations, in education for schools, vocational schools and universities, in healthcare for hospitals and so on. The areas of responsibility have been defined. We need to act,” he said.

He also stressed: "The decisions of a minister should be implemented immediately. Any decision that he takes is legitimate. In short, the minister cannot say, when reporting to Parliament or President, that he needed more powers or some legal framework.”

The head of state pointed out that, even in difficult moments, which were the end of 2014 and early 2015, the pricing matters, for example, were brought under control of the Trade Ministry. "The Trade Ministry and the Minister were instructed to take control of these issues. They did it quietly, without noise. This is how things should be done in principle. We will execute the toughest control,” said Lukashenka.

He also recalled that it is the government that runs the economy.