The honeymoon that reigned at the National Constitutional Revisory Assembly began to crumble yesterday after the signing of the agreement between President Fernandez and former PRD presidential candidate Miguel Vargas Maldonado.
According to Diario Libre, the unrest and anger it caused among the PLD and PRD assembly members meant that several points were agreed upon behind the backs of the blocs and on which there were numerous proposal for changes.
Some complained that they were not informed of the agreements that were reached on the issues of the Legislative Branch by the ideologues of the Leonel-Miguel accord; and that they were only informed after arriving at the National Assembly.
Most PLD assembly members withdrew their proposals and those who kept them saw them crushed under the excuse of the agreement, which they labeled "a lack of respect". This kept the Assembly's work from going ahead and only five articles were approved.
The Legislative Branch and the Assembly was called into recess until Tuesday, 2 June.
Article 64 says that "Legislative Power is exercised in the name of the people by the Congress of the Republic composed of a Senate and a Chamber of Deputies," and article 65 says, "the election of the Senators and the Deputies will be by direct universal suffrage as established by the law."
Moreover, the posts of Senator and Deputy are incompatible with any other function or job within the public administration.
Regarding the overseas Dominican community, the Assembly rejected the inclusion of the election of senators representing the expatriate Dominican community, modifying the proposal made by the Executive Branch in article 66. It was reported that when the issues related to the Chamber of Deputies are heard, the overseas representation would be assigned.
Also approved was article 72 that says that, "in each Chamber it will be necessary to have the attendance of more than half of the members for their decisions to be valid." The decisions will be taken by an absolute majority of votes, except in affairs previously declared to be urgent which will need a two-thirds vote in the second hearing.

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