Electronic municipality in the Republic of Belarus: essence, state and development prospects

Abstract

Information technology is an important part of government at the local level. Also, information technologies make it possible for citizens to participate in the management of local life. These relations constitute an electronic municipality (E-municipality). An electronic municipality cannot be effectively used without a scientific base. In the Republic of Belarus, the electronic municipality has specifics due to the presence of two independent systems at the local level – the system of local government and local self-government. At the moment, such elements of an electronic municipality as the representation of local authorities on the Internet, electronic appeals, electronic rulemaking are working in Belarus. However, there are problems in their work. The following forms are not used: electronic elections, electronic voting, electronic reception offices of authorities, electronic meetings, etc. The development and commissioning of a Unified portal of local self-government will be able to solve these problems. The portal will solve the problem of poor representation of local authorities in the online space, will become the basis for the development of electronic rule-making, and eventually – electronic elections, electronic referendums, electronic meetings and other forms of electronic direct democracy.