Constitutional lawyer Cristobal Rodriguez Gómez writes in the Diario Libre editorial page section this 24 April 2019 that both the 2015 Constitution and the recently passed Electoral Regime Law 15-19 establish the bases for direct vote in the cases of presidential, congressional and municipal votes. Advocates of a change argue this would be in the spirit of true democracy.
In the 2016 election, votes cast for deputies were added to the senator of the party. But sectors within the ruling PLD party and opposition party members say the new electoral law provides the base to change this, returning more power to the voters to choose their preferred candidates.
His argument is that Art. 92 of the Electoral Regime Law eliminated the drag when it established that the vote would be separate in the cases of senators, deputies. The consultation was called because defenders of keeping the drag rule for 2020 argue that Art. 104 of the same law indicates that the candidates of senators will receive all the votes received by the party for the province.
Rodríguez says this cannot be read as meaning that the votes of deputies will be added to the senators because this is in contradiction with articles 77 and 208 of the Constitution that gives voters the right to a direct vote.
A ruling from the JCE is pending on the matter. The JCE has requested the notes and minutes recorded by Congress to assist it in its decision. The JCE has said that the installation of an automated voting system would facilitate direct voting. A test of the system is being scheduled for the 6 October 2019 primaries.
Earlier this month, a feature in Diario Libre had mentioned that the ruling PLD party stands to gain the most by keeping the drag rule, as the party has 28 of the 32 senator seats.
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Diario Libre
El Dia
El Dia
Diario Libre
24 April 2019