It could be said that the controversy surrounding the Ley de Lemas has been of benefit to at least one group – the newspaper owners. The print media carries numerous paid adverts, most of them full-page, by different entities keen to show their opposition to the proposed law. This morning the list of such advertisers includes the participants in the National Dialogue, with a statement that “the country is going through one of the worst crises of the last fifty years.” This consortium of diverse civil society, political, community and religious groups asks Congress to reject the law, and voices its support for adherence to the recommendations of the Central Electoral Board monitoring committee, which opposes the Ley de Lemas. The statement ends with a call to political leaders to come to their senses: “It is time we began working for the benefit of the country, and politics should be about promoting the common good that should prevail over specific personal and group interests.” Another advertisement, by a group of retired police and army officers, makes similar statements, saying that the apparent attempt to force through the reform is a threat to the nation’s stability. It concludes by asking that the coming elections this spring be held according to the current electoral law. The RNVC (national civilian and veterans’ party) takes up half a page with their advertisement, again with a similar call. A lone voice supporting the law makes itself heard in the government-intervened Listin Diario’s main editorial column. It attributes the widespread opposition to the Ley de Lemas to the PRSC and PLD fears about their performances in the May elections and media manipulation. The backers of the reform challenge the arguments that the proposal is unconstitutional and list a number of people outside the ruling PRD who have expressed their approval for the idea. The writer concludes by expressing hope that the law be passed despite what it calls “the threats of an arrogant, noisy minority.”