order for the Belarusian populace to make comments and suggestions. Professors Gary M. Shaw of Touro College, New York and Russell L. Weaver of the University of Louisville spent time in Belarus in 1993 advising on drafting the constitution on behalf of Central and East European Law Initiative (CEELI), a project of the American Bar Association. The commission submitted the third and final draft to the Supreme Council, where it was signed on March 15, 1994 by the Speaker of the Supreme Council and Head of State, Myechyslaw Hryb. The gazette Zvezda officially published the Constitution fifteen days later. The Supreme Soviet passed a second law along with the Constitution, titled the Enactment Law, rendering the 1978 Byelorussian SSR Constitution and the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic void, with a few exceptions. The law, passed during the thirteenth session of the Supreme Soviet, also provided transitional phases for office holders and government organs to form within two years. Every year since 1994, March 15 has been commemorated in Belarus as Constitution Day, a national holiday. The Constitution introduces separation of powers. According to Belarusian law, each office is separate but must work together to serve the people. The Constitution also makes Belarus a presidential democracy, significantly reducing the role of the prime minister. Of the fifteen former Soviet republics, Belarus was the one of latest to create and pass a new constitution subsequent to the dissolution of the USSR. A delay occurred due to debates among Supreme Soviet deputies, who were also trying to stave off the opposition and democratic forces who wanted to close the Supreme Soviet down for good. A power struggle to determine the relationship between the new executive branch and the legislature caused much of the debate in 1992 and 1993. The former chairman of the Supreme Soviet, Stanislau Shushkevich, criticized the early drafts due to the amount of power granted to the president. The opposition Belarusian Popular Front criticized the final drafts due to the lack of balance between the two parties and for allowing Vyachaslau Kebich to run for presidential elections in June of that year despite serving in the same role with the SSR. When drafting the Belarus Constitution, the Supreme Council deputies were influenced by the constitutions of various countries, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the United States. Internally, the Constitution was influenced