The most expensive elections in the Americas?
The Central Electoral Board (JCE) has approved the 2020 general elections budget proposal for 2020 for RD$16.54 billion. The budget proposal passed at an extraordinary administrative meeting on 18 July 2019 presided over by the president of the JCE, Julio César Castaños Guzmán and attended by judges Roberto Saladín, Carmen Imbert Brugal, Rosario Graciano de los Santos, Henry Orlando Mejía Oviedo and general secretary Ramón Hilario Espiñeira Ceballos.
Also approved is that a presidential candidate can spend RD$1.39 billion on his campaign. Political parties will receive RD$3 billion of the taxpayer money allotted for the elections.
The JCE is funding the 6 October simultaneous primaries of the two leading political parties, the PLD and the PRM. Likewise, Art. 209 of the Constitution orders that municipal elections be held on the third Sunday in February (16 February 2020), and the presidential and congressional on the third Sunday in May (17 February 2020).
The 2020 general elections are costing three times more than the previous elections. An editorial in El Dia points out that while in the US each vote costs taxpayers US$11.67, in Mexico US$25 and US$58 in the DR.
Diario Libre puts the elections in perspectives. It headlines today that the 2020 general election budget is more than the annual budget for 15 government ministries.
Source: DR1, DiarioLibre
Aug 3, 2019
Category: DR News |