Former President Leonel Fernández is expected to lead a large protest after he called his followers to meet before the National Congress on Wednesday afternoon, 17 July 2019. Fernández will be heading the movement to protest a possible convening of the National Assembly for Constitutional Revision.
Fernández argues the Constitution was just amended in 2015 and explicitly bans President Danilo Medina (2012-2016, 2016-2020) from seeking a third term in the 2020 general election. The 2015 amendment also enabled former President Leonel Fernández to seek his fourth and fifth terms in government (1996-2000, 2004-2008, 2008-2012, 2020-2024?, 2024-2028?).
If the National Assembly for Constitution Revision is approved by the Senate on Wednesday, there is time to send it to the Chamber of Deputies. An extraordinary session would need to be called for Friday, 19 July. There is speculation that this was the intention last week, when the Chamber of Deputies was called to session on Friday. The bill, nevertheless, was never submitted to the Senate.
Instead, on the past Wednesday afternoon (10 July), PRM pre-candidate Luis Abinader held a large protest outside the Congress. On that same day, the US Embassy made known that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had spoken on the telephone with President Danilo Medina urging adherence to rule of law and the constitution. Medina would respond that he would adhere to the constitution.
Fernández has now called his followers to meet in the area as of 3pm to sign the symbolic protest book. His followers have been gathering signatures to protest the possible constitutional reform.
Fernández is challenged to make a showing of more followers than those that responded to PRM presidential pre-candidate Luis Abinader protest walk on Wednesday, 10 July.
Time is running out for the passing of constitutional reform. The deadline for submitting party pre-candidates to the Central Electoral Board is 22 August 2019. Likewise, the regular legislature closes on 26 July. President Medina could convene an extraordinary legislature through 14 August.
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Diario Libre
17 July 2019