Diario Libre reports that only two political parties have reached the 5% of votes at the presidential level to qualify for majority status funding from the JCE. The two political parties are the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), that won the presidential election, and runner up, today ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD). The preliminary numbers are PRM with 45.72%, PLD with 29.24%,
Earlier, it had been said that the new political party on which former President Leonel Fernández ran for President, the People’s Force, had reached the cut. Yet the numbers now indicate the Fuerza del Pueblo party only received 4.61% of the vote.
Two other parties that had majority status for the 2016-2020 period, didn’t make it. The Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), a strong ally of the PLD over the past eight years, received 4.07% of the vote. The Reformist Social Christian Party (PRSC) received 3.68%.
The votes for other parties were:
Alianza Pais (Alpais) with 1.49% and Dominicanos por el Cambio with 1.02%.
The Political Parties Law 33-18 calls for distributing taxpayer funds allocated to political parties in an equal manner. Parties receiving 5% or more of the vote share 80% of the fund. From 2016-2020 this was 20% to the PLD, PRM, PRSC and PRD. The law establishes that parties receiving from 4.9% to 1% share equally from 12% of the fund. Those that did not reach 1% of the votes then share from the remaining 8%.
Law 275-97 grants 0.5% of national revenues in election years and 0.2% in non national election years. In 2020, the political parties received RD$1.5 billion, of which RD$1.2 billion was allotted to the PLD, PRM, PRSC and PRD that received RD$301.4 million each in March and April. Diario Libre reports that in addition, the parties received allocations of RD$1 billion for the rescheduled election.
The law requires political parties to win at least one elective post to keep their recognized status with the Central Electoral Board (JCE).
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Diario Libre
JCE
8 July 2020