The proposed reforms to the Constitution taking place in Congress have divided the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, even between Congressmen of the same political parties. One of the biggest amendments being discussed is the extension from four to six years of the current Congress, in order to coincide with the presidential elections which were separated from those of Congress in the constitutional reforms of August, 1994.
Another proposal to unify the congressional and presidential elections calls for only a two-year term for those legislators elected in 1998, and a third calls for permanent six-year terms for senators and deputies. There is also á proposal to make the judges to be selected for the Supreme Court by the newly appointed National Council of Magistrates “irremovable”.
Those who favor the reforms argue that the “errors” committed in those of 1994, such as the separation of the congressional and presidential elections, should be corrected with another Constitutional Assembly. Others have said that it would be “imprudent” to change the Carta Magna because of immediate political survival, and that the changing of the document on a frequent basis removes part of its effectiveness. Finally, many observers and some Congressmen have emphasized that the energies of senators and deputies should be concentrated on the passing of important bills, such as the General Electricity Bill, the Monetary and Financial Code, the General Health Bill and Education Bill.