The National Council of the Magistracy (CNM), led by President Luis Abinader, is nearing the conclusion of its evaluation process for candidates aspiring to positions opened in the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) and the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE). The process is scheduled to wrap up this Thursday, 20 November 2025 starting at 9am.
On Tuesday, 18 November, the CNM completed its third day of public hearings, assessing candidates for the country’s highest judicial and electoral bodies. On this latest day, 20 participants were interviewed, bringing the total number of hopefuls heard to 61 out of 83 postulants.
The National Council of the Magistracy is composed of President Luis Abinader, the presidents of the SCJ (Luis Henry Molina), the Constitutional Court (Napoleón Estévez Lavandier), the Senate (Ricardo de los Santos – PRM), and the Chamber of Deputies (Alfredo Pacheco – PRM). They are joined by SCJ judge Nancy Salcedo Fernández, senator Omar Fernández (Fuerza del Pueblo), and PLD deputy Tobías Crespo.
As in previous sessions, the counselors posed detailed questions covering a wide range of critical topics, including:
The overall justice system and the TSE’s function.
The new Law on Cassation (Law 2-23).
Real estate fraud and property regime.
Digital transformation in the Judicial Power.
Political violence based on gender.
Impeachment proceedings and the groundbreaking Law on Extinction of Domain (Law 340-22), which aims to seize illicit assets.
The hearings were held at the Las Cariátides Hall in the Presidential Palace.
The Tuesday, 18 November afternoon session was led by Vice President Raquel Peña, sitting in for President Luis Abinader from 12:55pm to 2:40pm.
The tie-breaking composition of the CNM allows for the President to decide the naming of the higher courts judges.
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Noticias SIN
19 November 2025