With the new legislative administration, the benches hope to structure an annual parliamentary agenda that would have at least three axes, for which a first meeting is planned for next July 8, summoned by the president of the National Assembly, Virgilio Saquicela.
In this agenda it is expected to include those legislative issues that are defined in the technical table that will be installed between the Government and the leaders of the indigenous and peasant organizations, as part of the peace act signed on June 30, with which concluded the strike called by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie) and other indigenous groups.
July 7 will be the first meeting between the Government and the indigenous movement after the signing of the peace agreement
According to a draft proposal by President Saquicela, this time, the legislative agenda would have three axes and at least 25 projects would be processed, unlike the one presented by his predecessor, Guadalupe Llori (PK), who proposed five axes and promised to process 85 projects.
The three axes proposed by the current legislative administration are related to job creation, on which there are at least nine project initiatives; security, education and health, where there are five proposals; and, protection of human rights, whose theme is addressed in four projects.
peace deed issues
The coordinators of the legislative blocks of Pachakutik, Salvador Quishpe; National Agreement Bench, Juan Fernando Flores; and, Marlon Cadena, of the Democratic Left, They agreed that the next legislative agenda, which is yet to be defined, must contain those issues that are included in the peace agreement signed last week between the Government and the indigenous movement.
Flores considers that these are two issues that must be addressed on the legislative agenda; the first, a regulation that guarantees that the items produced by the exploitation of hydrocarbons not only reach the decentralized autonomous governments, but also the peoples and nationalities for their development; and the second, the project on mining, but before it reaches the legislature there must be changes from the Executive in the regulations.
Regarding tax credits, according to Flores, they are modifications that must be made from the Executive, where decisions are made on macroeconomics.
Flores remarked that they will propose to the Minister of the Government, Francisco Jiménez, to carry out a kind of legislative revision, given that there are bills that are being processed so that the necessary changes are introduced and the deadlines are speeded up.
Cadena mentioned that it is necessary for the new agenda to accept the proposals made in the agreement signed by the Government and Conaie, such as mining issues and also the forgiveness of debts with public banks.
The Pachakutik caucus, according to Quishpe, recalled that the mobilization agenda included issues related to credit policy, interest rates, as well as agricultural issues beyond the urea subsidy, because in the agricultural sector there are not only problems with the price of urea, but also with irrigation, seeds, agricultural inputs, market and marketing.
He indicated that the Organic Code of Food Sovereignty is being processed in the legislature and that it is expected to have the report and make possible responses and comprehensive support to the country’s agricultural sector. There are other projects such as education, where a first debate is already advanced.
Deadlines and agenda proposals
The organic law of the Legislative Function does not indicate a specific term regarding the elaboration of the annual parliamentary agenda at the beginning of the second year of the two of a legislative period; but in article 12 it is determined that a new administration would have a period of 60 days to prepare and present the agenda, and that would expire on July 30.
The agenda must be prepared jointly with the members of the Legislative Administration Council; presidents of the specialized commissions; representatives of the various legislative caucuses. For this, a first meeting with heads of benches is planned for next July 8 and then on July 11 with the presidents of the commissions.
The document made in the administration of Guadalupe Llori included the processing of 85 bills in one year, but according to the data held by the presidency, a percentage of less than 40% was executed.
National Assembly seeks to break paradigms in legislation and intends to approve 85 laws in one year
The five axes proposed in the 2021-2022 parliamentary agenda were summarized as follows: health, education, culture, citizen security and risk management; economy, productive development, employment; human rights, family and gender equity; nature, collective rights; and, ethics, transparency, social control and fight against corruption.
According to a study carried out in the legislature, what happened with Llori’s agenda is that the universe of prioritized bills, both in the first and second debates, covered too many initiatives and themes, having to reduce both the lines of action and, consequently, the prioritized projects.
The different specialized commissions of the legislature have focused their efforts on short-term oversight and legislation issues, leaving aside the progress and processing of prioritized bills.
Currently, in the presidency of the legislature there are 17 bills in process for the first debate and 12 with a report for the second and final debate.. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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