The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) approved the funds to finance the cooperation requested by the Central Election Board (JCE) for the audit of the polling station’s automated voting system to be used in the upcoming elections. The president of the JCE, Julio Cesar Castaños Guzman, explained he had received a call from US Ambassador Robin Bernstein telling him about the approval.
The JCE had requested funds from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) to have the system audited by a firm certified by the US Electoral Assistance Commission (EAC).
“We are coordinating with IFES the work plan that will be implemented and will be announced in the next few days,” Castaños Guzman said in a JCE press release.
The People’s Force (FP) party warned in the past days that the pre- and post-audits of the JCE’s automated voting system by IFES is urgent and fundamental to guarantee peace and the strengthening of the democratic system in the Dominican Republic.
Manuel Crespo, political delegate of the (FP), said that only in this way could the fairness and transparency of the municipal elections in February, as well as the congressional and presidential elections in May, be guaranteed.
Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) presidential candidate, Luis Abinader spoke up favorably on the US backing. “We welcome this new US support for fair and transparent elections, which strengthens Dominican democracy,” he said.
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El Dia
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20 January 2020