Dominican Republic nationals living abroad will have an opportunity to vote in presidential and general elections scheduled for May 19.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Roberto Álvarez, and President of the Central Electoral Board (JCE) Román Jáquez Liranzo signed a collaboration and coordination agreement yesterday to ensure the voting rights of almost 1 million Dominicans are preserved.
The agreement would see the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaching out to the governments in 32 countries and territories including the United States, Panama, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, British Virgin Islands, Switzerland and Belgium to assist with expediting the dispatch of electoral bags and to provide assistance to the JCE for the opening of bank accounts.
“Our country has managed to maintain its democratic stability, with increasingly reliable elections, and with government alternation since 1978. With its lights and shadows, this achievement is not the work of chance; It is the result of the efforts of Dominican society, including a responsible political leadership. This forces us to use all the means at our disposal to consolidate progress and strengthen our democratic processes. The importance of holding fair, free and transparent elections to maintain democracy should not be underestimated,” said Álvarez.
The list of voting stations will be provided by JCE and the organisation said polling stations will follow all regulations.
The projected cut-off date to register to participate in the election is next Sunday.
Jáquez Liranzo commented “approximately 875,000 Dominican men and women will be registered, which will represent 12 per cent of the Dominican electorate. Therefore, it will be the registry from abroad that will have the greatest impact on the elections.”
