The judges of the Junta Central Electoral, the government body in charge of organizing elections in the DR, voted in favor of adopting the new electoral system under Law 275-97. Some sectors within the ruling PRD party had opposed the change in the way citizens vote for congressional representatives and city government aldermen. The JCE says the new system will be in place in seven provinces in time for the 16 May 2002 congressional elections. It postponed the implementation of the new system for municipal elections this time around. The new system enables voters to vote for a candidate, regardless of the party he/she belongs to. The parties will submit lists of candidates from which the voters will be able to choose from. In the past, a candidate gained a post depending on the votes his party received. The parties would list candidates in a fixed order. And voters had to choose in that order. The National District (Santo Domingo-nine electoral districts) and six provinces will test out the new system. The provinces are: Santiago (three electoral districts), La Vega (two), Puerto Plata (two), San Juan de la Maguana (two), San Cristobal (two), and Duarte (two). The JCE ruled that in the remaining provinces, elections will be carried out in 2002 in the traditional manner.
