The three leading political parties (PRD, PRSC and PLD) have reached an agreement on changes to the Constitution. Reportedly, President Hipolito Mejia was expected to submit a bill containing four essential changes to the Senate yesterday. However, legal advisor Guido Gomez Mazara said that has been postponed to get the signature of the PLD on the agreement. In principle, the three leading parties agree on eliminating the closed electoral stations (which required voters separated by sexes to remain cloistered for about four hours). They also agreed on: election by popular vote instead of by congress of the Dominican representative to the Central American Parliament; the creation of the Constitutional Assembly as the body in charge of modifying the Constitution; and the stipulation that a candidate could become President of the Republic if he obtained 45% of the votes instead of 50% as at present. Also agreed on was a stipulation that a candidate could win in the first round with 40% if the percentage difference between him and the second place candidate was 10 points. Hoy newspaper says the PLD agreed to sign the document last night, but noted that any change to the percentage of votes needed to win in the first round should be left up to the Constitutional Assembly which would meet after next year’s congressional elections scheduled for May 2002.
