Orlando Gil writes in his political commentary in the Listin Diario today that the decision to go ahead with the primary is not a solution, but rather a demonstration of the strong differences within the PPH splinter group itself. Gil says that the original plan of the PRD leaders was to suspend the primary and push for the approval of the Ley del Voto Preferencial Presidencial, submitted to the Chamber of Deputies this week. He does speculate that the decision to present only two contenders in the primary leaves the door open to the subsequent registration of the other three pre-candidates following the expected approval of the new electoral legislation in Congress. Gil hypothesizes on what last-minute problems could have led the organizers of the 18 January primary, Peggy Cabral, Tony Raful and Salvador Jorge Blanco, to send representatives in their place at the press conference to announce the primary. Gil opines, however, that none of this will resolve the internal problems of the PRD. “The primary is seen as a joke, even if it has the endorsement of the Central Electoral Board. The preferential vote bill could be rejected by the Supreme Court of Justice, worsening the party’s internal crisis,” he says. But, he adds, “If the bill is not rejected, then we will have to wait and see what arguments those who have said they would not run against Mejia offer when they add their names to the PRD ballots.”