The director for Latin America and the Caribbean of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) Daniel Zovatto when participating in a panel at the Iberoamerican University on 15 January 2018 called for Dominican legislators to pass the political and electoral bills that have stagnated for over 15 years in Congress. “The time for amendments has come, they cannot continue to kick the ball forward as they have been kicking it for the past 15 years, this is becoming an act of lack of responsibility,” said Zovatto. He said the issues are political not juridical.
The president of the Central Electoral Board (JCE), in charge of organizing general elections in the Dominican Republic, Julio Castaños Guzmán said that if the bills are not passed within the next 150 days of the first legislature period of 2018, the JCE would have to resort to administratively regulating the 2020 elections.
Two of the key issues that have led to an impasse in the ruling PLD party are the matter of open primaries and the need to enhance controls on funding to reduce the influence of drug money and access to government funds by politicians who are in power.
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Diario Libre
16 January 2018
