Online petitions addressed to authorities gaining popularity in Belarus

In recent years, online petitions addressed to government agencies are gaining popularity in Belarus, especially among young people. In most cases, the authorities are not obliged to respond to such appeals, even though recent petitions have been drawn up in full compliance with the legislation. In addition, such petitions often have a wide public response with a large number of signatories, prompting officials to meet the demands of activists, especially if they do not contradict the interests of the central government, and focus on local issues. However, if online petition activity promoting issues of public interest increases, officials may lobby legislative restrictions on such appeals.