The National Constitutional Revisory Assembly voted in favor of amendments designed to prevent future Presidents from extending their terms beyond a second term. The so-called ‘five locks were unanimously approved in a first reading on Tuesday, 8 October 2024 with 165 votes in favor and 31 against.
The “five locks” include:
• Immutable Article 124: This amendment effectively “freezes” the article governing presidential elections, making it impossible to change the two-term limit.
• Mandatory Referendum: Any future constitutional reform must be approved by the Dominican people in a nationwide referendum, which would coincide with the next general elections.
• No Self-Serving Reforms: Future amendments cannot benefit public officials who are in office at the time the changes are made, including the President, Vice President, senators, and mayors.
• Time Limit for Legislative Changes: A new provision sets a seven-legislative-term deadline for the passage of all laws required by the new constitution and previous reforms, ensuring a timely implementation of changes.
• Ban on current President: The current President is ineligible to seek another re-election.
The opposition parties and their leadership, namely the Fuerza del Pueblo (former President Leonel Fernandez) and Dominican Liberation Party (former President Danilo Medina) oppose the changes to the Constitution arguing that these contribute little to the democratic institutions in the country. The PLD was majority when the Constitution was changed in 2010 and 2015.
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Listin Diario
9 October 2024