Legal provisions for mandatory referendums at national level

Article 313

The initiative to propose constitutional amendments belongs to the National Assembly, the Cabinet Council and the Supreme Court of Justice. Such amendments must be approved by one of the following procedures:

1 Through a Constitutional Act, approved in three readings by an absolute majority of the members of the Legislative Assembly, which must be published in the Official Gazette and sent by the Executive Branch to said Assembly within the first five days of ordinary session following the installation of the National Assembly elected in the last general elections, so that it can be discussed and approved in its first session without modification, in a single reading and by an absolute majority of all members of the Assembly;

2 Through a Constitutional Act, approved in three readings by an absolute majority of the members of the National Assembly in one legislature, and approved anew, during the immediately following legislature, in three readings by an absolute majority of the members of the already mentioned Assembly. On this occasion the text approved during the previous legislature may be amended. The Constitutional Act approved in this manner must be published in the Official Gazette and submitted to the people for direct, popular consultation through a referendum that shall be held on the date designated by the National Assembly, within a period not shorter than three months and not longer than six months from the date of the Constitutional Act's approval by the second Legislature.

Article 325

Treaties or international agreements that may be concluded by the Executive Branch with respect to the Panama Canal, its adjacent area and the protection of said Canal, as well as the construction of a sea-level canal or of a third set of locks, shall be approved by the Legislative Branch, and after being approved shall be submitted to a national referendum, to be held not earlier than three months from the approval by the Assembly.

No amendment, reservation, or understanding that refers to such treaties on agreements shall be valid if it does not comply with the requirements dealt with in the previous paragraph.

This provision shall apply also to any proposal for the construction of third set of locks or of a canal at sea level on the existing route which the Canal Authority may propose to realize, either by administrative means or by contracts concluded with any private firm or firms or with firms owned by one or several other States. In these cases the construction proposal, which has to be approved previously by the Executive Branch and be submitted to the Legislative Branch for approval or rejection, shall be submitted to referendum. Any project concerning the construction of a new canal shall also be submitted to referendum.