Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) deputy Gustavo Sanchez criticized that the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) submit its list of its pre-candidates for the 2024 general elections to the US Embassy for purging. Sánchez stated that the US Embassy, nor any other foreign government or international agency, cannot decide the political affairs of the Dominican Republic, as reported in Hoy.
Sanchez is the former PLD spokesman in the lower house of Congress for the former ruling political party. He said that no embassy has the legal authority to certify that this or that candidate cannot be a candidate. He indicated that the Dominican Constitution establishes that the basic requirements to be a candidate for elective office is to be Dominican, to be 25 years old and to have no social or political conflicts with society.
Society is asking the political parties to filter their pre-candidates for corruption in office and crime in general. The country is readying for the 18 February 2024 municipal elections and the 19 May 2024 presidential and congressional elections.
The media has been critical that several legislators have been involved in scandals for alleged ties to drug trafficking, betting shops, vandalism in public transport and corruption. The ruling PRM has a majority of cases of legislators tied to drug trafficking. The US Embassy had already acted to pronounce itself against corruption when it designated then PLD senator Felix Bautista in 2018 under the FY 2018 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act (Global Magnitsky Act).
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Hoy
DR1 News
US Embassy
26 July 2023