The block of opposition parties, consisting of 10 parties that fielded candidates against the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) in the last elections, has announced that they will take to the streets to urge the passing of the Political Parties and Electoral Reform bills. The minority parties and the PRM had been requesting a consensus for the revision of the 2011 bills, but instead the Central Electoral Board dispatched these same bills to Congress.
One of the goals of the block of opposition parties is to propose legislation that would prohibit funds that have been acquired illegally to be used in electoral campaigns, in reference to the supposed money from Odebrecht that financed the electoral campaign of President Danilo Medina. Brazilian Joao Santana, who was sentenced in Brazil for illicit use of funds in the elections of Brazilian p residents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff, was also the campaign strategist for President Danilo Medina during his two winning campaigns.
Signing the agreement of the political parties are the Partido Revolucionario Moderno (PRM), Partido Reformista Social Cristiano (PRSC), Partido Alianza País (AlPaís), Partido Humanista Dominicano (PHD), Partido Dominicanos por el Cambio (DxC), Frente Amplio (FA), Partido Quisqueyano Demócrata Cristiano (PQDC), Fuerza Nacional Progresista (FNP), Alianza por la Democracia (APD), Partido Revolucionario Social Demócrata (PRSD). Also signing are Opción Democrática (OD) and Partido Socialista Cristiano (PSC), two political organizations that seek to be recognized to participate in the 2020 general elections.
The political parties say that the mere approval of the bills is not enough if the laws against illicit and covert financing are not enforced. They seek a reform that guarantees transparency and that parties should suspend members involved in corruption.
The platform proposed by the opposition parties would promote equity across political parties, in terms of access to communication media, fiscal controls and oversight of donations.
In a press release, the block said that they have a plan to mobilize Dominican society to achieve electoral reform and a Political Parties’ Law to guarantee transparent, free and fair elections.
The opposition parties want a consensus to be reached. The PLD has said that a dialog can only take place in the National Congress, where the PLD has a clear majority in both houses of Congress.
The PLD Political Committee political party bill coordinator Rafael Alburquerque said that the commission in charge of the review of the bills is inviting all of society to present their views on the 2011 bill. He says the consensus needs to be reached during the discussions of the bill in Congress.
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Listin Diario
Diario Libre
JCE
OPD
11 April 2017
