The president of the Junta Central Electoral, Dr. Manuel Ramón Morel Cerda alerted that persons who are buying the cedulas, or identification and voting cards, of citizens identified as most likely to vote for an opposition party will lose their money in the transaction. Dr. Morel said that the persons that sell their cedulas will be able to get another cedula with which to vote for whomever they want in time for the presidential election. Political parties in the past have purchased the cedulas of those identified with opposition parties, taking advantage of the poverty of many. The JCE now says that they will be handing out duplicates to citizens until just a few days before 16 May 2000, election day. The president of the JCE furthermore said that any person caught buying cedulas would be sent to justice.
