Election experts from Latin America gave their opinion on the Dominican electoral process during a seminar held at INTEC university, under the auspices of Participación Ciudadana, a program sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development that seeks to strengthen Dominican democracy. Daniel Sabsay, professor of the Theory of Constitutional Law and Government at the Universidad de Buenos Aires in Argentina, said that difficulties could arise in the forthcoming election as there is no provision in the Electoral Law that defines which votes are valid, and what should be done in the case of a candidate resigning or dying. He also commented that the 45-day time period between one election and a possible second round so that 50%+1 of the votes is reached is excessive, and would create institutional instability and problems for the economy. In his opinion, the country should adopt the French model where the second round is held within 14 days of the first, rather than the 45 days established as a result of the political agreement known as the Pacto de la Democracia.
He feels these issues should be addressed now by the Junta Central Electoral.
In response, Juan Sully Bonnelly, a judge on the Junta Central Electoral, guaranteed that the second round would not be traumatic and that he would not allow Dominicans or foreigners to set guidelines. The president of the Junta, César Estrella Sadhalá, had stronger words. “The five judges that make up the Junta are not afraid. Nobody is going to scare us, nor has scared us,” he said. He added that they would continue to act in the same manner that they had adopted up until now.