With 48 days to go until the 15 May elections, the list of candidates has still not been confirmed by the Central Electoral Board (JCE). Some prospective candidates have been left off the party lists after being rejected by the Central and Municipal Electoral Boards for failing to comply with the requisites established by the Electoral Law 275-97.
The affected candidates along with their parties have taken their complaints to the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) in the hope that it will rule in their favor.
Some pre candidates for deputy for the main parties have submitted their complaints to their local Electoral Boards and others have gone directly to the TSE. They say their rights to choose and to be chosen have been violated and that there is no internal democracy within their parties.
Opposition PRM president for Santo Domingo province, Rafael Santos is complaining about the candidates proposed by the party for deputies, mayors and councilors in Santo Domingo saying that the winners of the primaries had been left out.
The 33% women’s quota has led to many deputies being taken off the candidates’ list in order to meet the target, including the PRD deputy for Puerto Plata, Pedro Aguirre who has been replaced by his wife, Angela Sanchez.
This week the TSE will hear several appeals, including that of Francina Hungria, who was rejected as running mate for National District Mayor Roberto Salcedo on the grounds that she does not actually live in the municipality and Tonty Rutinel Dominguez as PRD mayoral candidate for Santo Domingo East for the same reason.
