In its annual overview for 2022, the Participacion Ciudadana civic watchdog group is especially critical of the delays by legislators in passing the much needed amendments to the Political Parties 33-18 and Electoral Regime Law 15-18 laws. The laws were many times amended by the Constitutional Court and Electoral Superior Court into the 2020 general elections for major issues.
The Central Electoral Board (JCE) has submitted bills that incorporate the amendments and the experience of the 2020 general elections. Likewise the government-sponsored national dialogue tables (Economic and Social Council -CES) have discussed the proposed changes. But despite the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) having the votes to pass the bills with the changes, this has not been happening. Neither has the opposition come forth with proposals to pass the bills.
Participación Ciudadana issued a press release highlighting what it describes as “the lack of will shown by the political leadership and legislators regarding the necessary reforms required by the country. It is a pity that, instead of reaching agreements to advance in so many pending reforms, which everyone recognizes as necessary, 2022 has been lost in untimely political campaigns, personal promotions, extremist positions concerning Haitian migration, or in approaches contrary to institutionality, such as the call to boycott the national census, a mandatory and necessary activity, which should not be subject to political proselytism,” mentions the civic watchdog group.
The Central Electoral Board delivered to the National Congress proposals for amendments to these laws in April 2022.
PC states: “Despite the promises of the presidents of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, 2023 will find us with the same laws that showed a great number of weaknesses and shortcomings in the past elections. No one denies that these laws need modifications to advance towards a more developed democracy, but the principal parties and their representatives in Congress prefer to leave things as they are, while subjecting the country to an intense campaign at the wrong time.
“Everything points to elections in 2024 with two ineffective laws, costly and overflowing campaigns, with very weak control mechanisms and almost non-existent sanctions for those who violate the regulations. President Abinader and part of his government appear already definitely in campaign, as shown by the overflowing publicity of the government, centered on the cult of personality, as it has always been done. The main opposition parties are already launched to the streets in a race without brakes that leaves no room for achieving reform agreements.
“In short, the electoral political panorama points to the repetition of the same culture, focused on disqualification, with messianic speeches full of empty promises.”
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Participacion Ciudadana
19 December 2022