The Junta Central Electoral proposed modifications of the Electoral Law that are being met with criticism by national sectors. The board in charge of organizing presidential, municipal and congressional elections in the DR is proposing to increase from 90 to 150 days the political campaign period. Furthermore, what has met with the most opposition is a new proposal to change the law so that the population cannot vote for the deputy or alderman of choice, but instead have to vote for those chosen by the party, regardless of whether they represent their interests or not. The new system that would allow voters to vote for the candidate of choice was to be implemented for the 2002 congressional and municipal elections, but the Junta Central Electoral and the government party seem to be in favor of the modifications. Hoy newspaper says to modify the law would be a step backwards. It quotes Federico Antun Batlle of the PRSC saying that the return of the obsolete system of numbering the party’s choices (the party gets a deputy in order of how many total votes it receives and those at the top of the list get elected first). The Secretary General of the PLD, Jose Tomas Perez, also is against the pre-numbered list of party choices. He said it will be a setback to democracy.
