A total of 23 members of the 35-member PLD Political Committee approved sending a constitutional reform bill to Congress during a six-hour meeting in Juan Dolio on Sunday, 19 April 2015. The PLD holds the majority in Congress, but needs all PLD legislators to vote for the motion and additional votes from the opposition to change the Constitution. Twelve members voted against the motion, including former President Leonel Fernandez. Fernandez is the president of the PLD. Fernandez has announced his plans to be the PLD candidate in the May 2016 election.
PLD general secretary Reinaldo Pared Perez said that President Danilo Medina’s high popularity ratings had motivated the motion. He said that a commission made up of Senate president Cristina Lizardo, Radhames Camacho, Cesar Pina Toribio, Rafael Alburquerque, Miriam Cabral, Lidio Cadet, Abel Martinez and Pared Perez himself would be drafting the bill.
The Political Committee is focusing on introducing the US model, which would enable President Danilo Medina to run for re-election for a second four-year term, but he would not be allowed to run for re-election after 2020. The 2010 Constitution does not allow consecutive re-election, but there is no limit on how many times a President can run for the Presidency in the future.
Diario Libre reported that President Danilo Medina and former President Leonel Fernandez met for an hour at the home of Luis Jose Asilis in Metro Country Club before the Political Committee meeting. They then joined the Political Committee at 10:25am.
While the 2010 Constitution bans consecutive re-election, over the past decades Dominican Presidents have sought to change the Constitution to fit their plans. President Danilo Medina now continues in the tradition of seeking re-election.
In her column in Diario Libre today, Monday 20 April 2015, managing editor Ines Aizpun comments about Dominican Presidents and how they cling on to power: “The problem is the political class. Without distinction of parties, they have become an economic, judicial, legislative elite that handles national matters with a corporate spirit that makes democracy impossible. The rector of the PUCMM said it last week: Danilo Medina’s right to run again should not be decided in the PLD.” She goes on to say: “But the sad reality is that everything is being decided in that Corporation. From someone who builds three classrooms to what constitutional model will be applied at each moment.”
http://www.diariolibre.com/opinion/2015/04/20/i1108511_por-amor-poder.html