President Danilo Medina introduced his Independence Day speech saying that he identifies with the new generations that want answers to what happened, causing the municipal election to be aborted. He called the occurrence “sad and shameful, one that embarrasses us and tarnishes Dominican democracy”. He said what happened could not remain unexplained, or be explained half-heartedly or with accommodating explanations.
He said he is as committed to finding the truth and this is why he has given his support to the Organization of American States (OAS), the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and the International Union of Electoral Organizations (Uniore) to carry out the investigation. “On our part, we will make available to the OAS and other international organizations everything they need to carry out that investigation,” said the President.
“I reiterate: it must be a complete investigation, one that leaves nothing unexamined and that brings to public light absolutely everything that results from that investigation. Restoring lost trust requires as a starting point that we have that independent and objective explanation,” he said.
He asked for all to work together so that something similar does not happen again in the municipal election rescheduled for 15 March and the congressional and presidential election set for 17 May.
Newscaster Ricardo Nieves for Noticias SIN said that similar words were stated by the President in his 2016 address when he pledged that the Odebrecht bribes scandal would not be without culprits. Four years later, the hearing of the Odebrecht case has been rescheduled to a restart in courts.
Read more in Spanish:
Listin Diario
El Caribe
28 February 2020