The president of the Central Electoral Board (JCE) which organized the 1996 presidential election, Dr. Cesar Estrella Sadhala, told the news media that he favors the right to vote for members of the Armed Forces and National Police, who are prohibited from so doing under the current constitution. He argued that as citizens of the D.R. they deserve the right to vote, and that as they number 40,000-50,000, they would not make a determining difference in an election of 3-4 million eligible voters.
The fear of many is that a government or candidate would be the hands of those who possess force of arms, but Dr. Estrella Sadhala claims that the country has reached a level of political maturity that should put those fears to rest. He does object, however, to active campaigning for a determined candidate by members of the Police and Armed Forces. Dr. Estrella Sadhala’s comments came after a “courtesy visit” to the minister of the Armed Forces, General Juan Bautista Rojas Tabar.