Late last week, President Danilo Medina ordered legislators to remain in session as opposition member of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), Jose Ignacio Paliza, criticized the work ethic of many members of Congress. Paliza had noted that important legislative initiatives would not move forward given that the legislative session ended on 12 January 2019. The next session had been scheduled for 27 February. Among the important pieces of legislation awaiting votes, in addition to the Electoral Regime Bill, are the Penal Code, the bill concerning the auditing of the Congress and the Civil Procedures Code.
Then, on Friday, 11 January 2019, the Executive Branch issued Decree 19-19 that ordered legislators to stay on the job to continue reviewing the Electoral Regime Bill that has stagnated in Congress for around two decades. Medina in the same decree leaves open the option of adding other important bills that are pending on the legislative agenda. According to the Decree, this special session would start on 14 January gives the legislators 30 days to pass the Electoral Regime and other bills.
In the past legislature, from 16 August 2018 to 12 January 2019, only one significant piece of legislation, the Political Parties Law, came out of the National Congress during the session. The executive order now paves the way for the passing of the electoral regime bill that would mark changes in the electoral system in time for the 2020 general election. Medina followers have revved up activities in order to position the President for a third term that is at present banned by the 2015 Constitution.
Medina has gone on record saying in March 2019 he would announce his decision whether or not to seek reelection. But political analyst Felipe Ciprián speculates in Listín Diario that the President will buy time until July 2019 to announce whether he will run in order to outlaw any efforts his main rival, former President Leonel Fernandez, may attempt to found a separate political organization and run under a separate entity. The PLD majority in Congress is technically enough to pass a constitutional amendment for the second time to enable Medina to be the PLD candidate in the 2020 general election.
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El Dia
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Listin Diario
14 January 2019
