2024-07-31 02:18:57
This Monday, July 8, the Plenary Session of the National Assembly will meet to define the implementation of the Popular Consultation and Referendum, scheduled for April 21, 2024. The assembly members were summoned by the president of the Legislature, Henry Kronfle, to the continuation of the 939th session, in virtual mode.
In this session, the Report for the Second Debate of the Organic Law for the Implementation of the Popular Consultation and Referendum will be discussed and resolved.
One of the most controversial points is the increase in penalties for crimes such as terrorism, illicit trafficking of controlled substances, organized crime, murder and contract killing, among others. This issue is addressed in question G of the Consultation.
The report will be analyzed by legislators after the multi-party occasional commission processed the reforms, unified the five bills sent by the Executive and accepted the observations made during the first debate. The occasional commission began its work on May 21, and since then the 45-day period to process the bill has been running.
The 11 questions of the Referendum and Popular Consultation
Referendum: A) Do you agree that the Armed Forces should be allowed to provide additional support to the National Police in the fight against organized crime, by partially reforming the Constitution?
B) Do you agree to allow the extradition of Ecuadorians, with the conditions, requirements, restrictions and impediments established in the Constitution, international instruments and in the Law, amending the Constitution?
C) Do you agree with the establishment of specialized courts in constitutional matters, both in first and second instance, to hear the jurisdictional guarantees that correspond to them, amending the Constitution and reforming the Organic Law on Jurisdictional Guarantees and Constitutional Control?
D) Do you agree that the Ecuadorian State should recognize international arbitration as a method to resolve investment, contractual or commercial disputes?
E) Do you agree with amending the Constitution of the Republic and reforming the Labor Code to allow for fixed-term and hourly employment contracts, when entered into for the first time between the same employer and worker, without affecting the acquired rights of workers?
Referendum: F) Do you agree that the Armed Forces should carry out permanent control of weapons, ammunition, explosives and accessories on the routes, roads, paths and corridors authorized for access to social rehabilitation centers?
G) Do you agree that the penalties for the following crimes should be increased: (I) terrorism and its financing, (II) illicit production and trafficking of substances subject to control, (III) organized crime, (IV) murder, (V) contract killing, (VI) human trafficking, (VII) extortionate kidnapping, (VIII) arms trafficking, (IX) money laundering, and (X) illicit mining resource activity, by reforming the Comprehensive Organic Criminal Code?
H) Do you agree that persons deprived of liberty should serve their entire sentence within the social rehabilitation center for the crimes detailed in the Annex to question 5, reforming the Comprehensive Organic Criminal Code?
I) Do you agree that the crime of possession or carrying of weapons, ammunition or components for the exclusive use of the Armed Forces or the National Police should be classified, without affecting firearms permitted for civilian use, by reforming the Comprehensive Organic Criminal Code?
J) Do you agree that weapons, their parts or pieces, explosives, ammunition or accessories that were instruments or material objects of a crime, may be used immediately by the National Police or the Armed Forces, by reforming the Comprehensive Organic Criminal Code?
K) Do you agree that the State should become the owner of assets of illicit or unjustified origin, simplifying the procedure of the Organic Law on the Forfeiture of Assets?
Other topics on the agenda
In addition, the Plenary Session of the National Assembly will receive the appearance of Manuel Naranjo, Minister of Health, and Eduardo Peña, President of the Board of Directors of the Ecuadorian Social Security Institute (IESS). Both will have to explain the agreements reached with the Society for the Fight Against Cancer of Ecuador (Solca).