Margot Palacios asks congressmen to support bill on Constituent Assembly: “Why so afraid?”

Congresswoman Margot Palacios, from the Peru-Libre bank, presented a bill authorizing the convening of an election of 300 representatives of different sectors to form a Constituent Assembly (CA).

“It is a proposal and when the constituent assembly is called, some modifications will have to be made and some things implemented (...) Faced with this violation that Congress itself has made, taking away a constitutional right not to allow it to go to a referendum, this legislative initiative is being presented,” he told Exitosa.

The legislator stressed that it does not seek to reduce or affect the functions of either the President of the Republic, Pedro Castillo, or the highest authority of Congress, María del Carmen Alva. However, Bill 01744/2021-CR maintains that the Constituent Assembly could convene itself on citizens' initiative if one million signatures were collected, verified by the National Elections Jury (JNE).

“It is declared and established that self-convening to the constituent assembly by citizen initiative in the exercise of popular sovereignty is appropriate, through the presentation of one million signatures duly verified by the National Jury of Elections. The call is automatically formalized when the above requirement is met”, the document reads.

For this reason, the proposal suggests forming a CA with 300 representatives, respecting gender parity (women and men), who will be responsible for drawing up a text for a new plurinational constitution of the Republic of Peru.

“We propose in this legislative initiative that (the Constituent Assembly) be represented by 300 Peruvians and Peruvians, 50% men and 50% women. There would be the Andean, Amazonian, Afro-Peruvian peoples, businessmen, political groups, young professionals, farmers,” he told Exitosa.

The draft constitutional reform states that 25% of the members of the assembly will be elected by the indigenous peoples, 10% by social and popular organizations and 5% will come from the Afro-Peruvian community.

Likewise, farmers' and farmers' trade unions, youth organizations and employers' and entrepreneurs' organizations will each have 10% representation in the CA.

The legislator noted that the initiative proposes that 5% come from professional organizations, while 30% of the members of the assembly will be representatives of political parties. Palacios affirms that the initiative seeks to be a way out of the social, political, environmental and institutional crisis that our country is going through.

SUPPORT AT THE CONGRESS

Congresswoman Palacios said that the benches of Democratic Peru and Democratic Change will support the bill for the Constituent Assembly. Speaking to Canal N, the legislator said that these political forces support the initiative “in view of the need to overcome the economic, political and social crisis that has been generated with the model of the 1993 Constitution”.

“There is coordination because we have listened to their proposals. They (Democratic Peru and Democratic Change) also go for the constituent assembly; therefore, we will have the corresponding support. We are confident that they will be able to support this legislative initiative of Peru Libre,” said the official parliamentarian.

Finally, Margot Palacios urged her other parliamentary colleagues to join this initiative. In that sense, he explained that the population rejects not only the Executive Branch, but also the Legislative Branch.

“Let's hope that in the face of this crisis they can settle down and be more aware. Why are you so afraid of the national constituent assembly? , if the neoliberal system and model that they are afraid of is so perfect?” , said the congresswoman of Peru Libre.

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