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View Full Version : Assembly comes to a close



NewsWhore
10-23-2009, 04:00 PM
Last night saw the close of proceedings at the Constitutional Revisory Assembly with the second reading of the proposed constitutional reform, submitted by President Leonel Fernandez, which included proposals from popular hearings and from the commission of jurists that worked on the text. Despite all its ups and downs, the president of the Assembly Reinaldo Pared Perez, described it as "one of the best Constitutions of the last few years". Proceedings began on Tuesday, 14 April and after 6 months of work the National Revisory Assembly ended debates on the general, transitional and final dispositions of the new Constitution. The proclamation will take place on the 6th of November, National Constitution Day. The assembly members approved three last articles yet to be heard on economic pluralism, the principle of tax regulations and internal controls of the Comptroller General of the Republic.
Among the general dispositions, the Assembly approved that "the judicial decisions that have acquired authority of irrevocable judgments handed down by the Supreme Court, in a direct case or hearing on unconstitutionality, at a date previous to or later than the start up of the workings of the Tribunal, cannot be examined by the Tribunal. And those that come after will be subject to the procedures that are established by the law."
Within the transitional dispositions, the Assembly approved that "the current judges of the Supreme Court of Justice who are not retired because they are under 75 years old will undergo a performance evaluation by the National Council of Magistrates which will determine their conformation". Moreover that, "the Council of the Judicial Power should be created within the first 6 months after the current Constitution goes into effect", and the Constitutional Tribunal within 12 months. Equally, the Supreme Court will keep the functions attributed by this Constituted to the Constitutional Tribunal and the Council of the Judicial Power until these entities are functioning. Also that the new members (5) of the Chamber of Accounts elected by Congress will be applied beginning 16 August 2010 and in 2016, and exceptionally, that can remain in their posts until 2016.
The assembly members decided that, "by exception the electoral assemblies to elect the municipal authorities will be held in 2010 and in 2016 on the third Sunday of May".
The Assembly had previously approved the date for these elections as the third Sunday in February. Moreover, they approved that the deputies elected at national level by an accumulation of votes, as well as in representation of the Dominican community overseas, will be elected, exceptionally, on the third Sunday of May in the year 2012 for a period of four years. As the PLD members felt that it would prejudice the current government and the PRD, the party that wins in 2012 the disposition that established that the "structuring of the General Budget for the State for programs will be executed beginning in 2012" was eliminated.

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