SANTO DOMINGO.- Chamber of Deputies president Julio Cesar Valentin proposed reduce the size of the Legislative Branch in the next constitutional reform, because in his view Congress is headed toward a total collapse.

He said the Legislative Branch should be unicameral and its permanent members should be no more than 150, a number the pending Constitutional reform should “freeze” for life, which in his view would be less expensive for democracy.

Interviewed by newspaper Hoy, Valentin said there’s no way he won’t introduce the topic when the next Congress convenes, because they are his convictions. “If we continue thus in 2010 we’re going to have around 200 deputies and would be so many the system would collapse because already there’s no physical space nor place to widen the chamber.”

He said the Constitution must be modified  an and organic formula established, because in the 1966 constitutional reform there were barely around 3 million Dominicans in the country and a deputy was elected by each 50,000 inhabitants. “At that time the country coincided with Central America, which is more similar to us but that formula and the population’s quantum growth has resulted that today we have 178 lawmakers. It has been growing from 90 to 120, from 149 to 150 until reaching the present amount.”

Valentin said there is a unicameral tendency in Central America congresses and mentioned Costa Rica as having the fewest, which he said has 57 legislators; Nicaragua 91 and a unicameral congress; El Salvador 72, and asked why must have 178 here.