There have been some important developments since our previous issue. Its members, all of them with strong academic backgrounds, were selected on the basis of their presumed impartiality and will hold their posts for a period of seven years. For its part, under the terms of the recently approved constitutional reform, the Senate appointed seven magistrates who will make up the first electoral tribunal.
Some crucial issues involving secondary legislation remain to be addressed.
The debate among the main political forces of the country could not reach consensus on some of the most difficult points of controversy, such as the terms and amounts of party funding, the rules for the establishment of coalitions and the penalties for the violation of electoral laws. Even though consensus proved elusive, the new laws were passed by majority in Congress.