PLD legislator Elpidio Báez claims that in a week the public will have forgotten about the recent statements by Catholic priests that have warned against a budding dictatorship in the Medina government that seeks to continue for another term after 2020. To do so, a second constitutional reform needs to successfully pass in Congress.
The legislator feels this will not be a problem, as they have already convinced several opposition members to vote in their favor. The main opponent to the reelection of President Danilo Medina is former President Leonel Fernandez, who now seeks his fourth term in government. Fernandez was President from 1996-2000, 2004-2008 and 2008-2012.
Báez says the party is active in prepping the country for a new candidacy of President Danilo Medina. He speculated that the party will get the vote of 12 opposition party legislators from the PRM in order to pass the amendment in Congress.
He downplayed the statement by the priests regarding a dictatorship in the making. He said the statements were normal for this time of the year and recommended these be ignored.
He added that “this issue will fall off from the headlines in a week. People will be talking about something else.” He recommended his fellow party members to not comment on the priests’ remarks so as not to generate political reactions. “Right now that topic is forgotten, so I think the government should remain silent before the pronouncements of the priests in the Sermon of the Seven Words”, he observed.
“We stand firm in our purposes and at any time the constitutional reform bill will be presented in the Chamber of Deputies, we have enough votes for that,” he said. He clarified that only two-thirds vote of those present at the session are needed, not of the total enrollment.
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El Caribe
Hoy
23 April 2019