Popular Movement introduces legislation to bolster opposition's prerogatives in parliament

The Popular Movement party in the House of Representatives has drawn up a proposal for a law to the Justice and Legislation Committee, aimed at strengthening the constitutional rights of the parliamentary opposition.

The draft bill proposal will detail and embolden the exercise of the parliamentarian opposition’s constitutional rights in both Houses of Parliament, and fill what the movement calls “a legislative void,” which limits the opposition’s exercise of their rights, listed in the constitution.

According to the parliamentary team, this law will enable the opposition to carry out the tasks entrusted to it in the “utmost proper and complete manner.”

The authors of the proposal consider that despite the fact that the Constitution guarantees the rights of the parliamentary opposition and its protection, the two bylaws regulating the houses fail to “comprehend the depth of the constitutional reform.”

The draft proposal targets the lack of mechanisms that guarantee the protection of the legislative rights of the opposition, saying the laws in place “do not keep pace with the spirit of the 2011 constitution.”

The pending legislative proposal seeks to grant opposition groups a number of powers and prerogatives, including the right to refer international treaties and agreements to the Constitutional Court to ensure alignment with constitutional norms.

The proposal reinforces the opposition’s right to submit law proposals by providing that at least one day per month should be devoted to studying proposals from the opposition.

The opposition’s move also stipulates that the majority and the opposition be allocated an equal share of time to discuss the proposals for laws submitted by members of opposition groups, while granting opposition the right to submit a request to the Chairman of the Finance and Economic Development Committee to enable it to have the notes and reports attached to the Finance Bill and other relevant documents and data, “to enhance and deepen the parliamentary discussion related to the project within the committee.”

On the other hand, the group demanded that parliamentarians affiliated with opposition groups be given precedence in discussing the draft finance bill, as well as the right to submit a request to open a second discussion if they deem it necessary.