SANTO DOMINGO.- Just three days after the beheading deaths of a Dominican and a Haitian in Santo Domingo’s sprawling subdivision Herrera, the National Assembly failed to define the controversial topic of nationality in the new Constitution, as the lawmakers must choose between citizenship by birth in the territory (jus solis), or by bloodline (jus sanguini).

The assembly members voted to send the proposals to a commission, to look for a consensus.

Assembly president Reinaldo Pared said he prefers a wider discussion of the article, since an important sector of society favors the right by blood out of concern with the migratory reality and a deficient State policy by all parties which have been in office.

The opposition PRSC, and the pro-government FNP parties stated their preference for jus sanguinis and the ruling PLD and the opposition PRD propose a combination, with the right by blood, “with some elements of territorial birth.”

Prior to staring the debates on the topic of nationality in the constitutional reform, several children, taken by legislators of the PRSC, handed out the national flag with the message "For my Mother country and our future."