Orlando Gil, political analyst for El Siglo newspaper, asks why bother with the National Council of the Magistracy (CNM) session today if the president of the PRD, Hatuey de Camps, has already announced a consensus with former President Joaquin Balaguer over who the new judges will be. The National Council of the Magistracy is the body that chooses the Supreme Court judges. Why bother collecting curriculums or submitting names, he asks. Some 67 applicants have been presented by civic society, the Supreme Court and other entities. “This affair smells like dealing of posts,” writes Gil. He explains that one would think the Supreme Court would not participate in this deceit, but he clarifies they have no alternative. “Either they accept the decision of the political majority or they all are sent home, because there are no doubts of the scope and power of the CNM,” he writes. He said that the Coalition for an Independent Justice made a fool of itself thinking the CNM would heed their recommendations. Regardless, Gil says that the televised session of the CNM to choose the judges today should make for good show business. “They know who will be chosen, but the audience that day does not.” He says that what remains to be seen is whether the candidate partisan to President Mejia or to the president of the PRD Hatuey de Camps will be chosen. He speculates that most likely de Camps’ candidate will prevail. “Balaguer feels more comfortable negotiating with de Camps than with Mejia,” he says. “De Camps is more from his school and that is why he prefers him. The people say ‘filo con filo no se cortan,’ meaning one blade does not cut another blade.”
