After several claims from various sectors and, especially from the political partiesthe Executive power agreed to grant a new budget item to the Central Electoral Board (JCE)which will be used in the assembly of the primaries of the party organizations and the 2024 elections.
The body plans to start a series of training sessions and the preparation of procedures and administrative measures for the upcoming elections.
After remaining in a meeting for around two hours, President Luis Abinader and the members of the Plenary of the JCE guaranteed an increase of RD$4,500 million to the budget of that electoral body and civil registry that will be added to the RD$8,011 million that had already been allocated in the 2023 Budget Law.
As it is a pre-election year, the JCE requested a larger budget item, because it indicated that the assembly of the elections should be carried out in 2023 and not in 2024.
According to what has been indicated, of the amount granted, RD$500 million They will be used to pay debts that were acquired by the agency in 2022 and the remainder will be used to purchase and contract equipment and supplies for the party primaries in October 2023 and in the 2024 elections.
Within the administrative activities of the JCE for January and February is the beginning of the training for members of polling stationswhich will consist of several stages, like the beginning of the phase of training for electoral logistics personnel.
The organism contemplates, within the calendar of administrative activities and legal deadlines, the beginning of the computer application tests for the management of pacts of alliances, coalitions and registration of candidacies (alliances and candidates).
The JCE The recruitment of the members of the Information Technology units of the Electoral Boards and the recruitment of the technicians who will work in the electoral precincts will be beginning.
Another of the processes that will be carried out in mid-February is the start of evaluation and maintenance of the printers for the electoral roll.
It is also part of the agenda of the JCE the start of the electoral logistics work for the organization of the simultaneous primary elections of 2023 and the receipt of technological equipment and materials to be used in the elections, among others.
as good and valid
After disclosing the information on the increase in the budget item to the JCEthe thin and political leaders they qualified the action as wise, since the funds are necessary for the elections.
In this sense, the substitute delegate of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), Danilo Díaz, pointed out that this organization welcomes the decision of the Government of “listen to the claims made by both the JCE itself and the political society” to correct the fact that the budget requested by that body was not assigned.
“We welcome the fact that this committed mistake has been corrected and that it has been the result of the incompetence of some institutions that, by not having executed the budget assigned to them, are putting that availability to be transferred to the JCE. The decision is positive because it gives peace of mind, although it is still far from what was requested,” said Díaz.
He assured that you cannot play with the democracy of the country, since the electoral processes are where the democracy of the people is based.
While the delegate of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), Janet Camilo, indicated that she welcomes the resumption of dialogue between the JCE and the Executive power and that the Government has understood that the need to provide that body with the necessary funds should be guaranteed.
“The PRD is always on the side of the best interests of the country and we want and are committed to strengthening the system of political parties,” Camilo pointed out.
While Tácito Perdomo, delegate of the Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC), said that, although the game that JCE demanded, the granting of RD$4,500 million is a “expedited path”
“The president did well for having granted these values, but very badly for those officials who for various reasons did not attend, did not comply, at the time, with the request of the JCE”Perdomo said.
