The President Luis Abinader participated yesterday in the XXVII Annual Conference of the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), at the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS)where he reaffirmed his commitment to democracy, sustainable development and detailed the process of constitutional reform that is taking place in the country.
“Political and social tensions constantly challenge democratic foundations, so we must reaffirm our commitment to this principle, ensuring that institutions are not only democratic in form, but also in essence,” he said.
In this order, he explained that “with an eye on strengthening democracy and human rights,” two weeks ago he presented a constitutional reform to the National Congresswhich seeks to consolidate the limit on the time allowed for a president to remain in power, which is now two consecutive terms and never again.
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He added that this piece proposes a “stone clause”to avoid a future constitutional reform that would allow a new ruler to take power.
He explained that this clause will have the same status as the other immutable principles enshrined in a constitutional norm, which categorically states that “our form of government will always be civil, republican, democratic and representative.”
He also stressed that this reform includes, among other aspects, the strengthening of the independence of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in the fight against corruption and impunity, with the appointment of an attorney general who is not an exclusive power of the President of the Republic, but rather a joint decision with the National Council of the Judiciary.
“The Dominican people gave me, through their vote in the last elections, the largest congressional majority in the history of our recent democracy and my response to this enormous commitment and responsibility is to limit the power of the current and future rulers. I am convinced that, when judged in the future, this reform will be seen as a decisive step towards the consolidation of a stronger and more modern democracy,” he said.
He stressed that “the Dominican Republic is committed to leading by example, working closely with our regional and international partners to build a future of shared prosperity,” he said.
He added that “together, we can create a stronger, fairer and more united hemisphere, where economic growth benefits everyone, stability is the foundation of our common progress and democracy is deepened and strengthened, ensuring respect for the fundamental freedoms and rights of all.”
He considered that the defense of democracy is not limited to improving procedural aspects.
“As I already said and as I expressed at the Summit for Democracy to the president Joe Biden“We must make all necessary efforts to ensure that democracy translates into concrete well-being in the daily lives of citizens,” said Abinader.
Regarding the solution to the crisis in Haiti, President Abinader said: “This is a strategic necessity for security in the Caribbean. We will continue to collaborate with the international community to achieve this goal. We must not allow Haiti to fall into oblivion again.”
He added that another major challenge in the fight to preserve democracy is the construction of welfare states, because in his second term, he will be focused on strengthening conditions at the regional level for promote sustainable economic development.
He cited the country’s achievements in various fields.
