The sixth session of the political dialogue is due to be convened at the National Palace this afternoon. Talks will focus yet again on the two thorniest political issues on the agenda, the composition of the Central Election Board (JCE) and who should be the Secretary-General (SG) of the Dominican Municipal League (LMD). The dialogue was an initiative of President Fern?ndez, who proposed that leaders of all three major parties – the ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD, which currently controls Congress) and the Reformist-Social Christian Party (PRSC) – meet with him at the National Palace to resolve their differences in a "patriotic pact" to guarantee democratic stability and peaceful and fair presidential elections in the year 2000. In addition to the JCE and LMD questions, the dialogue has agreed to discuss (1) the election of the Chamber of Deputies directorate; (2) the selection of the Chamber of Accounts (C?mara de Cuentas); (3) President Fern?ndez’s proposal to convene a Constituent Assembly in May 2001 to reform the Constitution.In a related story, the directorate of the PRD known as the Presidium decided last night to ask again today that the dialogue be televised so that all Dominicans can see their leaders in action, understand who is taking what stance, and feel part of the process. Failing that, they suggested that "members of civil society" be allowed to observe the talks and discuss what they witnessed afterward.
