2006 – Page 107

As the Senate prepares for the selection of the electoral judges that will manage the 2008 presidential election, about 50 candidates have made their aspirations known. The candidates for a seat on the Central Electoral Board (JCE) include members of the 1994 board (Aura Celeste Fernandez and Ramon Vallejo Santelises), part of what is considered …

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In today’s El Caribe, Sociologist Ramon Tejada Holguin comments on the proposal by the new Attorney General Radhames Jimenez on the need to design a new method for fighting corruption. Tejada, who is a member of the Ethics Commission appointed at the start of the Fernandez administration, wonders if this means that the government will …

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The ambassador of Colombia in the DR says that bilateral talks for a free trade agreement between the two countries will have to wait for negotiations about the implementation of DR-CAFTA and the FTA with the US and Colombia to conclude. In an interview with El Caribe, he said that the DR benefits from better …

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The Chamber of Appeals of the Penal Court of Santo Domingo has ordered temporary imprisonment for Juan Ramon Carrera Costa and Noemi Martinez, and for their case to be tried in a criminal court. The couple is accused of abusing a minor. Judges Olga Herrera Carbuccia, Carmen Fortuna and Enrique Marchena revoked a decision by …

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President Leonel Fernandez has assigned RD$1 billion towards the development and strengthening of small, micro and medium-sized business enterprises in the Dominican Republic. The aim is to increase jobs. The President also said that while the government’s cash box is not as “robust” as he would like, his team has done some creative thinking and …

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Monday’s DR1 News reported that it seemed as if no one would take responsibility for the decision to restart the Congressional debate on a contract to privatize vehicular inspections. The controversial contract with a Spanish firm was supposed to have been withdrawn from consideration, according to a letter from President Fernandez to the Chamber of …

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The Dominican Senate has begun its search for the new magistrates who will be responsible for organizing the 2008 elections. Yesterday, the Senate was successful in naming a commission that will oversee the public hearings and consultations for the new Central Electoral Board (JCE) magistrates. The commission will be headed by Senate president Reinaldo Pared …

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Yesterday President Leonel Fernandez met for two and a half hours with the heads of leading media from Santo Domingo and Santiago to discuss constitutional reforms. Fernandez brought the need for constitutional reforms home to journalists when he mentioned the case of the recent interrogation of Diario Libre reporter Adonis Santiago Diaz by members of …

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Twelve students have won prizes in the National Reading, Writing and Arithmetic Contest, in a number of categories. The contest was organized by the Office of the First Lady, Margarita Cedeno, who was present at the awards ceremony. Ministry of Education’s Curriculum Department officials acknowledged the efforts made by the 384 provincial winners. The competition …

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CDEEE administrator Radhames Segura says that 60% of the installed generation capacity of the Dominican Republic’s electricity system operates on very expensive fuel oils that cost the equivalent of diesel fuel, and this is why these systems are seldom available for the national power grid. According to Diario Libre, there is 3,083 megawatts of installed …

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