Following a meeting of the Political Committee of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), the committee that is known to draw party lines, the ruling political party agreed to appoint at most five constitutional experts who would determine the legality of the open primaries. The experts would verify that the open primary rule not clash with the 2015 Constitution. Present at the meeting were the two main PLD party leaders: President Danilo Medina and PLD president, former President Leonel Fernández.
Open primaries are favored by the dominant faction within the party that is loyal to President Danilo Medina. Provisions for the open primaries would need to be included in the political parties and electoral systems bill under study in the PLD-majority National Congress. In 2004, prior to the existence of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Justice had annulled a law passed that year in Congress that had authorized open primaries.
The president of the Central Electoral Board (JCE), Julio César Castaños Guzmán, said on Monday, 2 October 2017, that the government body in charge of the elections would apply the electoral system approved by the National Congress regarding rules for the political party primaries. The PLD dominates in Congress, and the Medina faction is also a majority.
Nevertheless, so far opposition parties, and the Leonel Fernandez faction within the PLD are in favor of the parties using only lists with their own registered party members to elect the candidates. This is backed by previous decisions by the Central Electoral Board (JCE), Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) and the Superior Electoral Court (TSE).
Now the dominant faction loyal to President Danilo Medina within the ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) is defying these decisions. This group insists on pushing for allowing open primaries in the Political Parties’ Bill under study in the PLD-majority Congress. Spokesman for the PLD deputies, Gustavo Sánchez, has revealed that Danilo Medina told the bi-chamber commission that he prefers open primaries.
The provision would allow that any citizen eligible to vote in the May 2020 presidential election be also eligible to vote during the internal process of electing candidates, whether or not they belong to the political party.
The opposition block, lead by the Revolutionary Modern Party (PRM), is against open primaries and accuses a sector of the PLD of intending to use the yet to be passed Political Parties and Electoral bills for their own particular interests.
The president of the PRD, a PLD-ally in the 2016 general election, visited the Central Electoral Board on Monday, 2 October 2017, to express their vote was for including in the Political Parties Bill a provision that establishes simultaneous primaries with open voting lists but only for the four majority political parties – the PLD, PRM, PRD and PRSC.
The president of the JCE has also warned of the cost of the process.
On Monday evening, PLD party secretary general Reinaldo Pared Pérez said the president of the PLD, former President Leonel Fernández and President Danilo Medina had agreed to respect the opinion of the constitutional experts commission. He said the two party leaders need yet to agree on the experts and the timeline.
Present for the PLD meeting were 31 of the 35 members of the Political Committee. Absent were Lucia Medina, José Joaquín Bidó Medina, César Pina Toribio and Abel Martínez.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
El Dia
Diario Libre
3 October 2017
