Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez joined the debate over whether the 50%+1 absolute majority vote needed to win the presidential elections in the first round will be reduced. The PRD and the PRSC favor the reduction. The PLD is opposed. Ramón Morel Cerda, president of the Junta Central Electoral, the body in charge of organizing the election, proposed the reduction. The 50%+1 cut was instated in the 1994 Constitutional Reform. Sectors now want a new Constitutional Reform Assembly to be called. President-elect Hipólito Mejía reached 49.87% of the vote. He was declared the winner of the election, after second place candidate, Danilo Medina declined attending a second round. The provision for a candidate to decline participating in a second round is included in the Electoral Law.
