The secretaries of the 107 municipal electoral boards have begun a movement to keep the judges of Central Electoral Board (JCE) that prepared the 1996 presidential elections. The current judges, Cesar Estrella Sadhala, Juan Sully Bonnelly, Aura Celeste Fernandez, Luis Mora and Rafael Vallejo presented their resignation to the Senate effective 28 October. The secretaries of the municipal boards sent the president of the senate, Amable Aristy Castro, a document urging him to reject the resignations and ask them to organize the 1998 municipal and congressional elections.
The JCE and its president, Dr. Estrella Sadhala, were highly praised by local and international observers for their work in the 1996 presidential election, considered to be the most straight and transparent out of all the nine held since1966. The proposal to continue with the current judges has been favored by several congressmen and other politicians, including Antonio “Tono” Reynoso of the Nueva Esperanza party.