Yesterday the Public Ministry launched a portal for online complaints of electoral crimes and offences, under the motto “Your voice counts, make a difference.” The head of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office against Electoral Crimes and Offenses, Iván Féliz, highlighted the actions undertaken to confront these crimes and guaranteed that this body is ready for the elections on May 19, 2024.
He said that all prosecutor’s offices nationwide will be open during the electoral process to receive complaints, and prosecutors will be visiting electoral precincts together with members of the Military Electoral Police, with the purpose of taking immediate action in case of any illegal act.
As part of the work carried out by this attorney general’s office, a series of actions have been launched to prepare the structure that will work for the presidential and congressional elections this Sunday, May 19, in the investigation and prosecution of electoral crimes, as stated by the magistrate at the event.
Among the actions, the issue of training in electoral crimes for 125 prosecutors and 79 lawyers can be identified. To this end, the prosecutor’s offices will be open from Friday, May 17 to Sunday, the 19th of the same month, at 10:00 p.m.
The chief prosecutor explained that in cases where people cannot go in person to the corresponding prosecutor’s office of the district, where they want to make the complaint, they can do so within the complaints portal of the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic, installed in their office. website www.pgr.gob.do.
By accessing the aforementioned page, the citizen will be able to make the complaint in real time through any electronic device with Internet access, which will be sent (also in real time) to the corresponding jurisdiction, so that the prosecutor can take the action. appropriate measure and initiate an investigation, based on that criminal information.
“The Attorney General’s Office reaffirms its commitment to zero tolerance for electoral crimes and states that it is ready for the elections on May 19, 2024,” said Féliz.
Delegates and representatives of political parties attended the launch event of the web portal.
Complaints in the coming days
The specialized prosecutor against Electoral Crimes and Offenses announced that “in the coming days” he will hear formal accusations against people.
“It is possible that today or tomorrow there will be one, two or three, because as people did not go to report and the prosecutors were waiting for the complaint, there were not the number of cases that we expected,” explained the magistrate.
PRM greets platform
The substitute delegate of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) to the Central Electoral Board (JCE), Dionisio de los Santos, indicated that this political organization sees the platform for reporting electoral crimes in a positive way, and wants it to be used throughout the National Geography.
He took the opportunity to urge the Dominican population and political parties, including PRM leaders, to avoid electoral crimes, such as vote buying. “Men and women who have the capacity to exercise the vote must come freely and voluntarily to exercise that right, without restricting it through the purchase (of votes) or any other means,” she said.
He recalled that the party’s presidential candidate, Luis Abinader, has been reiterative on the issue as well as the National Campaign Coordination, that they will not be part of this practice.
Two PRM premises are not from today;
Regarding the warning that the Central Electoral Board gave to the PRM not to allow political proselytizing or the installation of tents on election day and the call for attention for two locations in front of electoral precincts, Dionisio de los Santos explained that the two centers already existed.
He clarified that the party has not opened new premises in front of electoral precincts, but that they were premises of that organization that existed, an issue that was discussed in a timely manner with the president of the JCE, Román Jáquez.
“He asked us to please paint those premises so that there is no type of party identification,” he explained after specifying that the law does not oblige the party to do so, because the premises existed first, but that out of caution they will proceed to paint them “so that no “There is no type of PRM advertising in front of the electoral precincts.”
He announced that the ruling party decided not to use tents, a practice – which according to him – was implemented by the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) when it governed.
Dionisio de los Santos reacted to the complaint by opposition leaders against the ruling party regarding the statement from the Central Electoral Board, including Javier Ubiera, substitute delegate of FP.
JCE will host instance, says delegate
The technical delegate of the People’s Force to the JCE, José Manuel Hernández Peguero, reiterated the party’s disagreement “due to the inefficiency and lack of objectivity” of the director of the Electoral Military Police, General Juan José Otaño Jiménez, in the last elections . However, he added that the political organization will welcome the statement from the Board that ratifies the officer in office, but warned that in any case they will be attentive to events.
The parties that make up the Rescate RD alliance (PLD-FP-PRD) had requested the Central Electoral Board to change the general as director of the Electoral Military Police, for being an alleged ally of the ruling party.
“We are going to accept it (the request). In any case, we are going to be attentive to the events and we are going to denounce any illicit attitude or activity, as has already happened with respect to the events at party premises in front of the polling stations,” he said.
For his part, the alternate FP delegate to the electoral entity, Javier Ubiera, pointed out that there is a displaced PRM strategy to replace the tents with premises in front of and around the electoral precincts, to do again the same thing they did in the elections. municipal elections.
Source: The Caribbean
