The non-partisan movement Citizen Participation (PC) advocated that the Dominican Republic be excluded from the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) in the constitutional reform project, because it serves as a refuge for corrupt officials under the cloak of parliamentary immunity.
He said that revising Article 27 of the Constitution on the country’s participation in international parliaments would also avoid unnecessary expenses for these congressmen.
It also supports the proposal to reduce the number of deputies to a maximum of 110, based on territorial constituencies, not subject to population growth.
Regarding the 20 deputies by cumulative vote at the national level, he indicated that it should be clear that they would be distributed only among the parties that do not achieve congressional representation and obtain more than 1% of the votes.
Elections
The non-partisan movement supported the reunification of elections, which would return to the 1994 reform, which was a two-year separation between municipal and congressional elections and presidential elections.
He said that “today, more than ever, it is still important to reduce the level of drag, to improve the independence of local governments and the Legislative Branch itself.”
He argued that the current model of three-month separation in the same year has failed “first because it does not reduce the drag, rather it increases it, second because the concentration of so much work in such a short period adds risks in the administrative and logistical aspects of the Central Electoral Board, as well as in the decisions of the Superior Electoral Court, which can seriously affect both elections, as happened in 2020.”
Re-election
He also supported President Abinader’s proposal to maintain the current system that allows the President of the Republic to run for a second term and never be able to run for the same position or for the vice presidency.
He also supported the inclusion of a new article, number 278, to reinforce this provision, which would provide that no elected official may benefit from a constitutional reform carried out during his term in office, when it concerns the rules for nomination, election and permanence in the office he holds.
Regarding the independence of the Attorney General’s Office, Participación Ciudadana understands that President Abinader’s proposal brings together two factors that could contribute to the objective being pursued.
He stressed that these are: “that the President of the Republic proposes the person and that the National Council of the Judiciary appoints him. In this way, the level of discretion is reduced because the President must propose someone who is acceptable to the majority of the Council.”
He added that the second factor is that the person proposed has not held a leadership position in any party.
PC rejects reduction
The non-partisan movement does not agree with reducing the Attorney General’s tenure to two years, as this puts his independence at risk and would allow him to be removed from office after two years, as a punishment for anyone who is not convenient to the interests of the Executive Branch or other sectors.
