Former Central Bank governor and ambassador to the United States, today Central Electoral Board (JCE) judge Roberto Saladín Selín went public with a letter dated 9 May 2019 in which he explains the reasons why he dissented in a JCE decision on “the drag vote” for the 2020 general elections.
In response to a request made by 19 opposition parties, the plenary of the Central Electoral Board (JCE) had agreed to exclude the National District and five provinces from a measure to eliminate “the drag vote,” whereby votes cast for deputies are allocated to the senator of their province or the National District. The drag will be eliminated in 26 provinces for the 2020 general elections.
In his opinion, Saladín called the elimination of the drag vote in the 26 provinces a step ahead in the quality of Dominican democracy. Nevertheless, he considers this should have been in the National District and all 31 provinces. He stressed that Electoral Regime Law 15-19 establishes four levels of voting in the February and May 2020 general elections. He said this is based on constitutional, legal, doctrinal and expert dispositions, and expressions by the majority of organized society as received at the JCE and has been published in the media.
In the extensive dissenting opinion, Saladin argued the JCE decision to not eliminate the drag vote in the National District and five provinces is in violation of the Law 15-19 and the Constitution. To make clear what is at stake, Saladín pointed out in his dissenting opinion that the measure impedes that one political party be majority in the Senate and another in the Chamber of Deputies, thus weakening the role of Congress as check and balance to the Executive Branch.
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Acento
13 May 2019