Political debate surrounding the suspension of restrictions on electoral polls
The recent resolution by the Central Electoral Board (JCE) to provisionally suspend the restrictions that limited the dissemination of polls outside of official campaign periods has sparked an intense debate in the National Congress. The measure, which seeks to increase transparency regarding the positioning of political actors, has generated divergent positions among Dominican legislators.
Voices in favor of openness
Deputy Eugenio Cedeño celebrated the electoral body’s rectification, arguing that access to information about the political landscape does not pose a risk to democracy. According to the legislator, knowing electoral trends at any time allows citizens to be better informed.
Does information harm anyone? Does it harm the people to have knowledge of how the political spectrum is at a time like this? That does not harm.
Eugenio Cedeño, deputy.
Cedeño emphasized that the revocation of the regulation is an implicit recognition that the original restriction lacked foundation, thus contributing to social peace and the transparency of the democratic process.
Criticism of institutional weakness
On the other side of the coin, deputy Pedro Martínez, from Alianza País, lamented the JCE’s setback. For Martínez, this fact evidences a systemic weakness in the organization’s capacity to exercise its authority and sanction irregularities.
- Martínez linked the decision to pressures exerted by the majority parties, whom he pointed out as the sectors that dominate political action in the country.
- He warned that the lack of firmness in the application of rules facilitates questionable practices, such as vote buying, during election days.
For his part, legislator Ramón Raposo underscored the importance of the JCE acting as an impartial arbiter, especially in the face of early political activism. Raposo questioned the lack of clear boundaries between the public duties of certain officials and their presidential aspirations for 2028.
The JCE’s position: Guaranteed independence
Faced with speculation about whether the entity yielded to external pressures, the president of the Central Electoral Board, Román Jáquez Liranzo, was categorical. In statements made this Monday, he dismissed any political influence in the decision-making process.
The Board does not kneel, not even to propose marriage.
Román Jáquez Liranzo, president of the JCE.
With this statement, Jáquez Liranzo reaffirmed the independence of the JCE plenary, ensuring that the institution maintains its autonomy from the various sectors that attempt to influence its administrative and electoral resolutions.
