Despite the rejection expressed by various sectors, including the Electoral Tribunal (TE), the Laurentian president Cortizo sanctioned this Friday, October 13, the bill that modifies the Electoral Code, regarding the applications for waste in the plurinominal circuits.

Cortizo thus signed Law 403 of October 13, 2023, which amends an article of the Electoral Code, two days after the ruling bench of the Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD), with the support of the Molirena bench and the dissidents of Democratic Change (CD), approved it in the third debate in the National Assembly.

The president sanctioned the new Law 403, with the Minister of Government, Roger Tejada, it was published in the Official Gazette.

The proposal was presented a month ago, on September 13, by Deputy Ricardo Torres, first vice president of the National Assembly and member of the National Executive Committee (CEN) of the PRD

On several occasions, the TE expressed its disagreement with this reform. Its magistrates did not even participate in the consultations and debates held in the National Assembly. The last time they pronounced was on Thursday, to express once again their disagreement with this reform that the Electoral Code suffered.

“The Electoral Tribunal reiterates its position of rejecting the approval in the third debate of the bill that modifies the Electoral Code by the Legislative body, a few months before the general election of May 5, 2024,” the entity said in a statement.

Earlier, Judge Alfredo Juncá, president of the TE, had said that Torres’ bill was “extemporary” and that introducing reforms to the Electoral Code, at this point, ” Would cause distortions.”

The TE recognizes that the National Assembly is the entity constituted for the approval of laws in the country; however, the “electoral bodies of the world agree that it is not advisable to change the rules of an electoral tournament, since this action affects the integrity of the process.”

The elections are held in six months and 19 days.