On October 19-20, 1996, 4,740 delegates gathered at the Palace of Sports in the capital. They represented all regions and groups of the population. The delegates approved the Main Directions of Socio-Economic Development of the Republic of Belarus for 1996-2000. The five-year program was approved at the First All-Belarusian People's Assembly and was described as a plan of concrete deeds that helped the country exit crisis.