The multi-party Chamber of Deputies requires a 76-deputy quorum to hold a session. El Caribe points out, however, that the PRSC has 35 deputies, the PLD has 42 and the PRD has 59 (45 of whom back the PPH faction of President Mejia). These numbers mean that to pass any bill, the votes of only 17 obliging PRSC deputies are needed – or 31, if the Hatuey Decamps group decides to vote differently. Yesterday, 91 deputies (including 14 PRD supporters of the Decamps faction, the PRSC deputies and the PLD deputies) abandoned the session, thus impeding the quorum. The session was closed after hundreds of people from 52 business, religious and civil society institutions gathered in front of the National Congress building to protest Congress’ intention to push through the extensive electoral reform with just weeks to go before the 16 May Presidential election. A Participacion Ciudadana banner read: “Congress does not represent the parties. It represents the people, and we demand that the legislators act maturely.” Miriam Diaz, the leading civic society group’s co-ordinator, alerted the protesters that the electoral reform bill is “an attempt to trample the people.” Likewise, the executive director of the Foundation for Institutionalism and Justice (Finjus) insisted that the proposed reform is “untimely and unwise.” The bill has been rejected by all Dominican sectors, with the exception of a small group of politicians who feel it could be a solution to the internal differences within their party over who will become the Presidential candidate for the 16 May election.