23% of registered voters are on the government payroll, reports Diario Libre in its 27 April 2016 issue. As reported, more than 1.5 million potential Dominican voters are either on the public payroll or benefit from welfare programs under the Programa Solidaridad. There are 603,085 employees on the government payroll. Diario Libre reports that the government payroll has grown 60% during the PLD party governments from 2004 to 2016.
The report highlights that in 2004, the government’s Solidaridad program had 5,763 beneficiaries. By the end of 2015, this had increased to 946,021. The government payroll has grown from 382,656 in 2004 to the current 1,549,106.
In the 2004 election, the proportion of people either on the payroll or receiving subsidies through the Programa Solidad was only 7.7% of the voting list. For the 2016 election, the PLD had increased it to 23% of potential voters.
In 2006, the government payroll totaled 404,243.
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/politica/voto-cautivo-los-que-estan-en-nomina-y-los-que-tienen-tarjetas-son-23-del-padron-de-2016-EK3480237
