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Tribunal Superior Electoral suspended Canoa today as Cabarete mayor
For Oily -- Eddy Morphe has not been involved in the ayuntamiento distrital since his days as Canoa's puppet before Canoa got himself elected to the position of Director in 2010.
For Drstock -- Raquel Sierra has not served either in the ayuntamiento distrital or any other political position. She was put on the ballot in 2010 as a vice sindica, which has no function until the vice has to replace the Director of the ayuntamiento distrital, as a minor sop to the Cabarete PLD after PLD party bosses Valadimir Cespedes and Senator Francis Vargas forced the party to accept reformista party Canoa in the top position on the ballot. Raquel is a lawyer. Canoa is an uneducated illiterate. Raquel defied the party bosses that supported Canoa by pressing the case for his suspension and pressing a legal case against him for forgery of checks issued in her name. None of this alone guarantees that she won't be tempted to engage in a little of what makes politics work here. But Canoa spent over ten years building his fortune, developing a network of thugs and hanger ons, and developing his corrupt connections with the party bosses who could protect him. Even if Raquel wanted to emulate Canoa, which those of us in ADECA don't believe, she lacks the organized corruption machine that Canoa built over ten years. To add to that, no one stepping into that position could ignore the scrutiny that Canoa's operations received from ADECA, from the Camara de Cuentas and from the Ministerio Publico, and the consequences that had for Canoa.
I should add that Canoa is not in jail yet and is not one to be expected to be shy about doing anything to make it impossible for Raquel to govern. He still has two of the three Cabarete regidores in his pay, the ones who voted against his suspension. He's still got allies in organized crime and the police. Canoa's suspension was a milestone, but by no means the end of the battle. A violent incident by a Canoa ally just before Raquel's swearing in this evening was a warning shot.
For Drstock -- Raquel Sierra has not served either in the ayuntamiento distrital or any other political position. She was put on the ballot in 2010 as a vice sindica, which has no function until the vice has to replace the Director of the ayuntamiento distrital, as a minor sop to the Cabarete PLD after PLD party bosses Valadimir Cespedes and Senator Francis Vargas forced the party to accept reformista party Canoa in the top position on the ballot. Raquel is a lawyer. Canoa is an uneducated illiterate. Raquel defied the party bosses that supported Canoa by pressing the case for his suspension and pressing a legal case against him for forgery of checks issued in her name. None of this alone guarantees that she won't be tempted to engage in a little of what makes politics work here. But Canoa spent over ten years building his fortune, developing a network of thugs and hanger ons, and developing his corrupt connections with the party bosses who could protect him. Even if Raquel wanted to emulate Canoa, which those of us in ADECA don't believe, she lacks the organized corruption machine that Canoa built over ten years. To add to that, no one stepping into that position could ignore the scrutiny that Canoa's operations received from ADECA, from the Camara de Cuentas and from the Ministerio Publico, and the consequences that had for Canoa.
I should add that Canoa is not in jail yet and is not one to be expected to be shy about doing anything to make it impossible for Raquel to govern. He still has two of the three Cabarete regidores in his pay, the ones who voted against his suspension. He's still got allies in organized crime and the police. Canoa's suspension was a milestone, but by no means the end of the battle. A violent incident by a Canoa ally just before Raquel's swearing in this evening was a warning shot.
Raquel Sierra, the vice sindica, was sworn in Friday November 30. The Cabarete police comander who has served in Cabarete a number of times in various capacities at first refused to provide security for the event. Raquel went got the order delivered through the comand chain that security would be provided, with the result that police from other jurisdictions were sent in to provide additional security.
Police security was also provided on Monday when Raquel took posession of the ayuntamiento distrital and had to face Canoa's employees, many of whom also face criminal charges. To get the official seals back from Canoa, who kept them with him at all times, Raquel had to have a marshall deliver a legal notice to him. The two regidores who have been solid allies of Canoa refused to appear all week to hold a session that would allow the hiring of a new staff, reportedly because they had received additional payments from Canoa to not cooperate. The log jam appears to have been partially broken yesterday when one of the two agreed to hold a session along with the third regidor, Lorenzo Sancassani.
Police security was also provided on Monday when Raquel took posession of the ayuntamiento distrital and had to face Canoa's employees, many of whom also face criminal charges. To get the official seals back from Canoa, who kept them with him at all times, Raquel had to have a marshall deliver a legal notice to him. The two regidores who have been solid allies of Canoa refused to appear all week to hold a session that would allow the hiring of a new staff, reportedly because they had received additional payments from Canoa to not cooperate. The log jam appears to have been partially broken yesterday when one of the two agreed to hold a session along with the third regidor, Lorenzo Sancassani.