Over the weekend five political parties declared former President Leonel Fernández their choice for presidential candidate for the May 2020 election. The announcements come at a time when political analysts are still debating whether or not Fernández can legally run for President on another party’s ticket. Articles in the Political Parties Law 33-18 and the Electoral Regime Law 15-19 would seem to impede his being the presidential candidate for another party given that he already ran in the primary of the ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD). Other legal experts argue the ban is against those who have been a candidate, while Fernández was but a pre-candidate in a primary.
On Saturday, 26 October 2019, a coalition of three minority parties, the Social Democrat Institutional Block (Bloque Institucional Social Demócrata -BIS), the Quisqueyano Social Democrat Party (Partido Quisqueyano Social Demócrata – PQDC) and the Progressive National Force (Fuerza Nacional Progresista – FNP) declared they will be backing Fernández for president in the May 2020 election.
On Sunday, 27 October, the political party Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC) declared the three-time President their presidential candidate. The National Unity Party (PUN) did likewise on Sunday.
All these political parties need to ally with a strong political force to secure enough votes to maintain their status with the Central Electoral Board (JCE).
The parties are backing the newly created The Force of the People (La Fuerza del Pueblo – LFP), born of the Dominican Workers Party (Partido de los Trabajadores – PTD). It is the political platform Fernández announced he would use to seek the presidency in 2020 after the Central Electoral Board (JCE) declared Gonzalo Castillo as the PLD’s presidential candidate. The announcement came amid widespread reports of major electoral fraud. It was the last straw that led to the split of the two defining forces within the ruling Dominican Liberation Party – President Danilo Medina and former President Leonel Fernández.
The JCE said the final date for parties to declare their presidential candidates is 3 March 2020. This technically gives time to run the debated candidacy through the full gamut of legalities, including the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) and the Constitutional Court. These courts have already overturned other articles included in the Political Parties Law and the Electoral Regime Law.
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Listin Diario
28 October 2019