During July 2012, draft constitutional amendments aimed at restricting or abolishing the immunities of certain categories of officials were submitted by the Democratic Party (DP) and Socialist Party (SP) parliamentary groupings (on 6thand 20th July respectively). Both of the drafts were largely in line with the recommendations provided by PACA in September 2011 for reform of the regime of immunities.
In response to a request from Parliament, on 21 July 2012 a PACA expert attended a joint session of the Parliamentary Council on Legislation and the Committee on Legal Issues, Public Administration and the Human Rights, which was organized to consult experts, civil society representatives and other stakeholders and secure feedback on the drafts. At the meeting the PACA expert responded to extensive questioning by MPs. Following the meeting, the Committee approved a revised draft. However, in the Parliamentary session at which the proposed amendments were to be debated and voted on, a vote did not take place after the opposition (SP) elected not to support the proposal.