The panel of electoral experts who accompanied journalist Alicia Ortega for the Noticias SIN coverage of the municipal elections on Color Vision Channel 9 highlighted the overwhelming victory of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) over the opposition and the high electoral abstention.
The historian and political analyst Bernardo Vega declared that the defeats of the opposition in Santiago and Santo Domingo Norte “are terrible for the opposition”. The opposition had held 52 of the 158 mayoralties, and is set to lose several of these muncipal seats.
Noticias SIN reported that the sweep was apparent from the first bulletin at 8pm when the count trends showed victories in the National District, Santo Domingo East, Santo Domingo North, Los Alcarrizos, Santiago, La Vega, San Francisco de Macorís and San Cristóbal, the main political plazas because they have the most population.
Political scientist Rosario Espinal highlighted that the high abstention projected in these elections is probably higher than in 2020 when the country was inmersed in the Covid pandemic. She read the abstention shows an opposition that is “derailed, divided, without direction, that does not motivate voters.” Espinal said that this is because the PLD voter “does not know what to do.” The PLD was the ruling political party in the past two decades, holding government in 1996-2000, 2004-2008, 2008-2012, 2016-2020.
The political scientist said that while the results favor the government party in the elections, these should serve as a wake-up call that there may be an equally high abstention in the presidential and congressional election set for 19 May 2024. “Then there is a problem that neither the opposition is motivating enough the voters, nor is the government motivating voters to reach more normal levels of electoral participation,” she remarked. Espinal said: “If a high level of abstention happens in May, then it will not only be a product of the opposition being derailed and divided, but it will be a problem for the PRM to increase the people who vote for them,” she remarked.
The challenge for Luis Abinader facing the presidential elections will be to expand his electoral base, because there are two things at stake: winning power and the electoral base that you can move to legitimize your power, Espinal remarked.
Journalist Patricia Solano said that “abstention won.” She remarked: “….the parties are not speaking to the people. The politicians are not talking to us, they are talking to each other. In their campaigns they are not telling us, the people, many things that interest us,” she warned.
The wishy-washy 2024 municipal campaign was marked by lots of pretty photos in billboards nationwide, but little content on the candidates and their proposals.
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Noticias SIN electoral coverage
19 February 2024