on 4 april 2017, the national assembly failed to pass a bill that would have led to a referendum on talon's proposal to limit presidents to a single six-year term. 63 votes in the 83-member national assembly were required for passage, and the bill fell just short, with 60 votes. talon said a few days later that he would not pursue the matter any further. he said that he was saddened by the outcome of the vote but that he respected it because of his commitment to democracy. he declined to say whether, in light of the failure of his single-term proposal, he would stand for re-election in 2021.