In 1997 the political parties approved a change to the electoral law that authorized the absentee vote of Dominicans. El Caribe newspaper today looks into the organizational problems given the large numbers of Dominicans who live abroad. It is estimated that Dominicans residing abroad could represent 8% of the total vote count, thus absentee Dominicans could decide a close election. El Caribe warns that work needs to be done to bring credibility to the government-party controlled consulates that would be used as voting centers. It also suggests controls on the costs of the vote abroad since they could amount to more than paying the airfare of every Dominican who wants to vote in the 2004 election. The DR has probably one of the largest expatriate populations of any American nation living in the US and Europe. Rafael Lantigua, head of the governing party in New York, says there is apathy on behalf of the political parties (his included) and the electoral authorities to organize the vote abroad. He says political groups abroad could go as far as to challenge the 2004 elections if absentee voting is not implemented for the next presidential election. Luis Arias, in charge of the absentee vote at the Junta Central Electoral, the government body that organizes the elections, put the blame for the organizational delays on the political parties and the Ministry of Foreign Relations. He said that only the PRSC has given its go ahead to the procedure.
