PLD legislators disagree with line from Political Committee
They say reelection weakens PLD harmony and unity
Diario Libre
SD. The decision by the Political Committee of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) to present a proposal for the modification of the Constitution which permits presidential reelection, unleashed an whirlwind in the National Congress, where the majority of the legislators said that they were against this intention.
Yesterday morning, a group of deputies (that they say were 60 in total) from the PLD held a press conference in order to express their disagreement with any initiative, process or efforts to modify the Magna Carta. During the afternoon, 16 PLD senators also joined together to announce their disagreement with the issue.
In a two-page document, the deputies from the government's party, who belong to the group that follows former President Leonel Fernandez, headed by Ruben Maldonado, warned that "the extraordinary work by the PLD administrations, combined with the good electoral position of the party," guarantees triumph in the coming elections, as long as the leadership does not sponsor situations which threaten the unity and harmony of the organization.
The senators, who defended their right to express themselves, first issued a call to the attention of the Political Committee. They said it appeared incoherent to them that today they are asked to approve a constitutional reform for the single purpose of permitting the presidential candidacy of President Danilo Medina, when in the past, 10 legislators of this party were expelled for voting in favor of reelection.
They understand that this constitutes a political error of unpredictable consequences so out of keeping with what has been their tradition, recalling that the PLD has resisted on previous occasions the initiatives to modify the Constitution just for reelection purposes.
"We announce to the country our disagreement with the decision to attempt a constitutional reform only in order to permit presidential reelection, a decision for which we should have been consulted as the representatives of the PLD in the National Congress," they say in a document.
They are the same senators that supported Fernandez at his meeting of last 12 April, but they assured the reporters that their posture does not correspond to any given line.
The numbers
With the posture of those senators and deputies, there are 86 legislators of the PLD that are moving against the line laid down by the Political Committee, who in order to achieve their purpose of reelection have to be able to count on the votes of the two-thirds parts of the National Assembly, according to what is established by the Constitution in article 271. At the present time the membership of Congress is composed of 190 deputies and 32 senators. In order to achieve a quorum in a Revising Assembly the presence of at least 96 deputies and 17 senators is required. By party, the PLD can count together with its allies, 100 deputies and 30 senators, the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), has 41 deputies, the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) has 37 deputies, the Social Christian Reformist Party has seven deputies and one senator, and the Structure has two deputies and one senator. There are two independent deputies and one deputy from MODA..
Besides the internal opposition, the PLD must also face the external opposition, since yesterday the spokesman for the blocs of deputies of the PRD, Rudy Gonzalez, and the PRM, Nelson Arroyo, reiterated their posture against any modification of the Constitution and reaffirmed their position that reelection will not pass in the Congress. They warned once again, that they would sanction anyone who does not follow the line established by their parties.
In case all 222 members of the Revising Assembly were to attend, two-thirds represent 148 legislators, so that the PLD would need, besides its 130 legislators, an additional 18 votes.
Work starts today to achieve reelection
Although without noting the time or the place, the president of the Senate, Cristina Lizardo, announced that today the commission of the Political Committee of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) that is charged with preparing the proposal for the constitutional reform which would open the way to presidential reelection would begin its work.
"The commission will meet tomorrow (today), and there will be a complete process," she said, as she reported that opportunely they would communicate to the media the meeting place.
Likewise, she said that she expects that an agreement between the legislators and the PLD members will come about in order to achieve the reelection of President Danilo Medina.
Regarding the statements by a group of deputies of the party that oppose reelection, Lizardo said: "it is a normal reaction of the comrades who today (yesterday) held a press conference. We are going to study any possibility to confirm and consolidate unity of the PLD, which is what weighs the heaviest in all of this."
She assured reporters that the PLD has given demonstrations of discipline, of good sense and above all, of the importance of unity as a fundamental element.
The commission appointed by the Political Committee that will meet today is composed of Reinaldo Pared Perez, who is the coordinator, Rafael Alburquerque, Cristina Lizardo, Abel Martinez, Lidio Cadet, Radhames Camacho, Miriam Cabral and Cesar Pina Toribio.
Yesterday morning, a group of deputies (that they say were 60 in total) from the PLD held a press conference in order to express their disagreement with any initiative, process or efforts to modify the Magna Carta. During the afternoon, 16 PLD senators also joined together to announce their disagreement with the issue.
In a two-page document, the deputies from the government's party, who belong to the group that follows former President Leonel Fernandez, headed by Ruben Maldonado, warned that "the extraordinary work by the PLD administrations, combined with the good electoral position of the party," guarantees triumph in the coming elections, as long as the leadership does not sponsor situations which threaten the unity and harmony of the organization.
The senators, who defended their right to express themselves, first issued a call to the attention of the Political Committee. They said it appeared incoherent to them that today they are asked to approve a constitutional reform for the single purpose of permitting the presidential candidacy of President Danilo Medina, when in the past, 10 legislators of this party were expelled for voting in favor of reelection.
They understand that this constitutes a political error of unpredictable consequences so out of keeping with what has been their tradition, recalling that the PLD has resisted on previous occasions the initiatives to modify the Constitution just for reelection purposes.
"We announce to the country our disagreement with the decision to attempt a constitutional reform only in order to permit presidential reelection, a decision for which we should have been consulted as the representatives of the PLD in the National Congress," they say in a document.
They are the same senators that supported Fernandez at his meeting of last 12 April, but they assured the reporters that their posture does not correspond to any given line.
The numbers
With the posture of those senators and deputies, there are 86 legislators of the PLD that are moving against the line laid down by the Political Committee, who in order to achieve their purpose of reelection have to be able to count on the votes of the two-thirds parts of the National Assembly, according to what is established by the Constitution in article 271. At the present time the membership of Congress is composed of 190 deputies and 32 senators. In order to achieve a quorum in a Revising Assembly the presence of at least 96 deputies and 17 senators is required. By party, the PLD can count together with its allies, 100 deputies and 30 senators, the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), has 41 deputies, the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) has 37 deputies, the Social Christian Reformist Party has seven deputies and one senator, and the Structure has two deputies and one senator. There are two independent deputies and one deputy from MODA..
Besides the internal opposition, the PLD must also face the external opposition, since yesterday the spokesman for the blocs of deputies of the PRD, Rudy Gonzalez, and the PRM, Nelson Arroyo, reiterated their posture against any modification of the Constitution and reaffirmed their position that reelection will not pass in the Congress. They warned once again, that they would sanction anyone who does not follow the line established by their parties.
In case all 222 members of the Revising Assembly were to attend, two-thirds represent 148 legislators, so that the PLD would need, besides its 130 legislators, an additional 18 votes.
Work starts today to achieve reelection
Although without noting the time or the place, the president of the Senate, Cristina Lizardo, announced that today the commission of the Political Committee of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) that is charged with preparing the proposal for the constitutional reform which would open the way to presidential reelection would begin its work.
"The commission will meet tomorrow (today), and there will be a complete process," she said, as she reported that opportunely they would communicate to the media the meeting place.
Likewise, she said that she expects that an agreement between the legislators and the PLD members will come about in order to achieve the reelection of President Danilo Medina.
Regarding the statements by a group of deputies of the party that oppose reelection, Lizardo said: "it is a normal reaction of the comrades who today (yesterday) held a press conference. We are going to study any possibility to confirm and consolidate unity of the PLD, which is what weighs the heaviest in all of this."
She assured reporters that the PLD has given demonstrations of discipline, of good sense and above all, of the importance of unity as a fundamental element.
The commission appointed by the Political Committee that will meet today is composed of Reinaldo Pared Perez, who is the coordinator, Rafael Alburquerque, Cristina Lizardo, Abel Martinez, Lidio Cadet, Radhames Camacho, Miriam Cabral and Cesar Pina Toribio.
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