When President Danilo Medina said on Monday, 22 July 2019 that he would not seek to run for reelection in 2020, many thought constitutional reform was a dead issue. Not so. Now, leaders of the Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC) are calling again for constitutional reform. They have a check-list of 11 points. On the list is changing the constitution so that President Danilo Medina can run again for office in 2024.
Other proposals are:
That the municipal election scheduled for 16 February 2020 be held on the same day as the congressional and presidential election set for 17 May 2020. The PRSC proposes that the Constitution be amended so that the elections take place on the third Sunday of May every four years.
To disallow counting the vote of deputies as votes for senators, keeping to Electoral Regime Law 15-19.
Remove the Attorney General of the Republic from the National Council of the Magistracy, the body in charge of electing the Supreme Court justices.
The amendment was inserted in the 2010 Constitution that former President Leonel Fernández masterminded to replace the 1994 Constitution. Political analysts explain it has enabled the President of the Republic to control the National Council of the Magistracy.
Lower to 18 years from the current 25 years the age needed to run for Congress.
Require that to apply for a judge position persons need to have had a career of at least ten years removed from partisan political affiliation.
Prohibit senators, deputies, mayors, vice mayors, councilors, directors, and deputy directors from holding the same position in government jobs for more than two consecutive periods.
Increase the majority needed to amend the Constitution.
Set a constitutional limit to indebtedness for both domestic and foreign debt taking.
Disallow the appointment of the attorney general and comptroller general by the President, and give the appointment power to another government body that does not coincide with the four-year term of the President.
Set a term limit of 10 years to judge positions on the Supreme Court of Justice.
In making the case for enabling President Danilo Medina to run for President in 2024, Rogelio Genao argued that former President Leonel Fernández did the same when he reached an agreement with former President Hipólito Mejía for the 2010 constitutional reform.
Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC) leaders Federico “Quique” Antún and Ramón Rogelio Genao presided over the press conference where the proposals were presented. They argued the proposals would “correct distortions and errors that resulted from the 2010 Blue Collar Pact between former President Leonel Fernández and the president of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), today Foreign Relations Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado”. The Fernández-Vargas pact led to the approval of the 2010 Constitution that now enables Fernández to stand for office in 2020.
Read more in Spanish:
PRSC
El Nacional
Listin Diario
Z101 Digital
Hoy
25 July 2019