The increasing use of government resources in political campaigns has become an issue of concern in recent years in the Dominican Republic, said César Dargam, executive vice president of the National Council of Business (Conep).
Dargam recommends paying attention not only to the use of public resources, but also to all the money the candidates invest in campaigns.
“These campaigns are becoming too expensive for the Dominican Republic. The level of investment that a candidate makes, from councilor and member in a municipal district, to the President of the Republic, is something that should be getting attention,” Dargam warned during an interview on CDN, Channel 9.
He expressed that the Electoral Law and the Political Parties Law establish a limit, so it is time to reflect on what muscles the Central Electoral Board (JCE) has to be able to supervise the use of resources.
Likewise, he calls for attention to the high cost of having two elections — one on 18 February to elect municipal officers and another on 19 May to elect legislators and the President and Vice President.
“In three months there will be another election. So much campaigning, even though it is a stable, calm and peaceful country, is still a distortion of neuralgic issues that need to be addressed,” he pondered.
The vice president of Conep also added that the present legislature begins on 27 February and ends in July, so it will coincide with the presidential and legislative campaigns. He warned that this will undoubtedly affect congressional and economic activity in the country.
Read more in Spanish:
El Caribe
21 February 2024