Page:Constitution of the Bolivarian republic of Venezuela.djvu/122

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Article 342: The purpose of constitutional reform is to effect a partial revision of this Constitution and replacement of one or more of the provisions hereof, without modifying the fundamental principles and structure of the text of the Constitution.

The initiative for a constitutional reform emanates from the National Assembly, by resolution approved by a majority vote of the members, from the President of the Republic sitting with the Cabinet of Ministers, or at the request of registered voters constituting at least 15% of the total number registered with the Civil and Electoral Registry.

Article 343: The initiative for a constitution reform shall be processed by the National Assembly as follows:


 * (1) The draft constitutional reform shall be debated for the first time during the legislative session during which it is submitted.


 * (2) Second debate title by title or chapter by chapter, as applicable.


 * (3) Third and last debate article by article.


 * (4) The National Assembly shall approve the draft constitutional reform in a time period no latter than two years, counted since the date the reform application was submitted and approved.


 * (5) The draft constitutional reform shall be approved with a two third members vote of the National Assembly.

Article 344: Once approved by the National Assembly, the draft constitutional reform shall be submitted to a referendum within 30 days from its approval. The referendum shall pass on the reform as a whole, but up to one third of the same may be voted on separately, if at least one third of the National Assembly so agrees, or if in the initiative for the reform, the President of the Republic or a number of registered voters equivalent to at least 5% of the total registered with the Civil and Electoral Registry so requests.