Assembly spat as rookie accuses veteran of miscounting  votes

Deputy Roberto Ábrego, president of the Legislative Committee on  Credentials, Regulation, Parliamentary Ethics and Judicial Affairs , promised, on  Friday, September 6, that in the next 15 days he will announce the date on which the discussion of the bill will begin to reform the Internal Regulations of the Legislature, as well as complaints against magistrates of the Supreme Court.

The announcement came  after a televised confrontation with independent  rookie lawmaker Juan Diego Vásquez, who has accused the veteran PRD  deputy of adjusting  voting figures

Ábrego accuses Vásquez, who presented the reform initiative, of trying to seek “notoriety” and of ignoring the rules of the Assembly. “Of course we are going to discuss that. We are not going to shy away from a compromise .”

On Thursday, September 5, Vásquez presented a motion – backed by three more deputies – to alter the agenda of the commission and introduce the discussion of project 001, but Ábrego prevented it.

According to Ábrego, Vásquez “likes to shoot himself, simply looking for notoriety. But he doesn’t know the organic regulation.”

On July 4, Vásquez presented the project to modify the internal regulations of the Legislature. It is the first bill proposed in the current period of ordinary sessions. However, the proposal has not been scheduled on the Credentials Committee’s agenda and it is unknown when this will occur reports La Prensa For that reason, last Thursday, Vásquez presented the motion, which was supported by three more deputies: 

Ábrego then opened the vote: four votes in favor of Vásquez’s proposal and three against. However, Abrego declared a tie: according to him, there were three in favor and three against. Vasquez rebuked him and told him that in favor of his proposal he and three other deputies had voted in favor.  

Ábrego, Gonzalo González and Juan Esquivel voted against the motion.

Abrego first declared a “tie.” Then, he asked Vasquez to support his motion in writing. Finally, he declared a “recess”, which in practice became a closing session, because then all the commissioners went to the legislative plenary and did not return.