Constitutional Speak

[NewsWhore]

President Leonel Fernandez, members of the constitutional reform team, and experts on constitutional reform met in San Cristobal on 6 November, Constitution Day, to discuss the topic in depth. The President highlighted the need to reform the Magna Carta in order to adapt it to today's world. Fernandez said that the country has an unprecedented opportunity to reform the Constitution that would allow for a total consolidation of democracy, and is quoted in El Caribe as saying that if the country completes this reform it will no longer be taking steps back in its development. The President is adamant about reforming article 55 on Presidential powers, and has shown willingness to limit the powers of the executive office. Fernandez pointed out that the Dominican constitution has been reformed a total of 37 times and that when originally written it looked to the American, Haitian and French constitutions for ideas, but that now the Constitution needs to be reformed in order to create a liberal and social state. The President also encouraged debate from all sides, regardless of politics or religious belief. The President's comments on constitutional reform came during ceremonies commemorating the day when the country signed its first constitution 162 years ago, on 6 November 1844. El Caribe newspaper points out an interesting anomaly to the possibility of constitutional reform citing that while the country is embarking on a process of reforming the current constitution, many Dominicans didn't even know that yesterday's holiday was to celebrate the signing of the very first constitution. The paper quotes a woman who thought that yesterday was Independence Day.

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