AMCHAMDR's traditional April luncheon conference featured the president of the Central Electoral Board as its guest speaker.
Santo Domingo, April 25.- The president of the Central Electoral Board (JCE), Dr. Julio César Castaños Guzmán, stated on Wednesday that the approval of laws governing political parties and the electoral system is necessary, as these have been off the congressional agenda for more than a decade.
The judge made his remarks at the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR) monthly luncheon conference in April, where he participated as a guest speaker and guest of honor with a presentation entitled "Evolution of the Dominican Electoral System."
"[These laws] have been long awaited by Dominican society and left off a genuine congressional agenda for more than a decade: always announced, but perpetually postponed," Castaños Guzmán said.
He also indicated that "the Original Regulatory Power conferred by the Constitution of the Republic on the JCE, established in Paragraph IV of Article 212, institutionally commits us to regulate the time limits and limits on campaign expenses, as well as equitable access to the media and, in this way, ensure that electoral processes are carried out in accordance with the principles of freedom and equity in the development of campaigns and transparency in the use of financing."
In his opening remarks, David Fernández, president of AMCHAMDR, referred to the need to hear from the JCE representative about the prospects for the sustainability of the Dominican electoral system and the opportunities that exist for the formalization of human resources in the provinces.
"We see how many nations fail to hold voting in a planned and regular manner, with the normality and institutionality that characterizes places that enjoy freedom of expression and higher standards of living," Fernández said.
In his speech, the president of the JCE stated that "every proposal requires spaces for dialogue and consensus-building among normally opposing sectors, so that social forces can agree on solutions to problems through expert dialogue that can unblock the progress of any law stalled in Congress due to the difficulties generated by political infighting. This has been the case with the laws on political parties and the electoral system."
"In this sense, it is necessary to consider that, if the Bill on Political Parties and Political Groups, already approved by the honorable Senate of the Republic, becomes law, the cost of said primaries in our country would amount to about RD$ 5,628,000,000, according to the provisional estimated budget prepared by the General Directorate of Elections of the JCE,” he said.
Castaños Guzmán stated that "these primary elections to be held to choose all the candidates who would participate in the three (3) levels of election - presidential, congressional and municipal - would take place on the third Sunday of November of the year prior to the elections, that is, on November 17 of next year 2019. More specifically the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and Black Friday. The latter is equivalent to stating, if this information is true, that the JCE would organize mandatory primary elections for all parties in November 2019, municipal elections in February 2020 (with the introduction of preferential voting for council members and members), and presidential and congressional elections in May of the same year; and, eventually, the possibility of a second round, at the presidential level, which would take place on the last Sunday of June 2020. which would be equivalent to holding four (4) elections between November 2019 and June 2020”.
"The Central Electoral Board reiterates to the country that on September 18, 2018, it will begin its electoral calendar, which includes all legal and administrative deadlines, as well as the scheduling of essential events for the organization of the next general, municipal, congressional, and presidential elections to be held in 2020."
