There has been widespread criticism of the creating of the position of a specialized prosecution service for electoral matters in the recently passed Electoral Regime Bill. The bill is but pending the signing and publishing by President Danilo Medina to become law in time for its implementation for the 2020 general election.
Art. 289 of the new bill establishes that the new prosecutor who is in charge of persecuting electoral crimes will be under the Public Ministry. Foundation for Institutionalism and Justice (Finjus) director Servio Tulio Castaños questioned the impartiality a prosecutor who will be under the jurisdiction of the Attorney General, who in turn is a political appointee named by the President.
Furthermore, an editorial in Diario Libre on 12 February 2019, highlights that the specialized attorney would lack the required independence so as not to be accused of partiality in the exercise of the role.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
14 February 2019
