VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDG #1466/01 1232028
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 032028Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4607
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHWN/AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN PRIORITY 1902
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0597
RUEHGE/AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN PRIORITY 0844
RUEHKG/AMEMBASSY KINGSTON PRIORITY 2569
RUEHPO/AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO PRIORITY 0989
RUEHPU/AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE PRIORITY 4224
RUEHSP/AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN PRIORITY 1654
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY 1508
RUCOWCV/CUSTOMS CARIBBEAN ATTACHE MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUEAHLC/HQS DHS WASHDC PRIORITY
RUMISTA/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 001466 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CAR, INR/IAA; NSC FOR FISK AND FEARS; 
USSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD; USDOC FOR 
4322/ITA/MAC/WH/CARIBBEAN BASIN DIVISION; USDOC FOR 
3134/ITA/USFCS/RD/WH; 
DHS FOR CIS-CARLOS ITURREGUI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: DR PGOV
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN ELECTIONS #10: CENTRAL ELECTION BOARD IS 
ON COURSE, DESPITE FLAK 
 
 
¶1.  (U) This is the 10th cable in a series reporting on the 
Dominican Rrepublic's May 16 congressional and municipal 
elections: 
 
 
Central Election Board Is on Course, Despite Flak 
 
The Central Election Board (JCE), responsible for organizing 
and adjudicating the May 16 
Dominican congressional and municipal elections, is 
overcoming minor delays and, barring 
any unforeseen major obstacles, will hold the elections as 
scheduled.  Recent sharp 
criticism of the JCE in the Dominican press is driven by 
chronic suspicions of political 
bias among the judges, in a political culture prone to 
conspiracy theories.  The 
Organization of American States (OAS) has announced the 
arrival of an Election 
Observation Mission April 30, and the diplomatic community 
including the Embassy has 
committed to support the international observer effort. 
 
 
Jaundiced Views 
 
"The JCE, under a sea of doubts," blared the editorial 
headline of establishment daily 
"Listn Diario" on April 27.  "The credibility of the 
election process has been seriously 
compromised by the clumsiness of the Central Election Board 
and its whims in dealing with 
the political parties," complained generally pro-Fernndez 
administration Diario Libre on 
April 26.  "Let us dispel the fears," intoned center-left 
"Hoy" on April 27. 
 
Why all the fuss?  In preceding days, the leaders of the 
three major parties and the 
National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP) had called on 
the JCE to publish the final 
list of candidates for the elections, whose names had been 
submitted for approval March 16 
and approved a week later.  In the interim, members of the 
opposition PRD-PRSC alliance 
had been complaining and filing challenges with the JCE's 
dispute resolution chamber, 
alleging that they had been improperly excluded from 
candidacies for which they had been 
selected by internal primaries. 
 
Even President Fernandez joined the chorus of the querulous. 
The evening of April 26, he 
denounced the uncertainty of the JCE's behavior in the 
elections, in light of the 
non-consensual manner in which the current JCE judges had 
been "imposed by a tyrannical 
majority" of PRD senators during the selection process in 
¶2002.  He called for 
institutional changesby the new Congress - -  which he 
predicted would have a majority of 
ruling PLD and allied legislators - - to ensure selection of 
impartial judges to guarantee 
a clean election process. 
 
 
A Timely Announcement 
 
The same evening, the JCE dispelled much of the concern by 
delivering the list of 14,200 
 
registered candidates for 1412 elected positions to the 
political parties.  Even "Hoy" 
acknowleged that the release of the list "has been a big step 
forward to defuse the 
tension in the electoral atmosphere."  Also that day, JCE 
elections director Gilberto Cruz 
Herasme, the top technical manager of the election system, 
confirmed to Embassy officers 
that as of April 24 all candidacies had been closed.  In 
fact, he said, the law allowed 
the JCE until May 11 to deliver the lists - - although 
earlier delivery was desirable. 
 
Any further substitutions could only occur at city council 
level, the lowest in these 
elections, if accepted by vote of the JCE judges.  Names 
would not change on the ballots, 
but the voting for city council is by party lists, and voters 
select a party ticket headed 
by the candidate for mayor. 
 
Other technical and logistical arrangements were on track, 
according to Cruz Herasme.  The 
printing of ballots was well advanced and, despite glitches 
with one of the several 
contractors performing this service, he had hired bigger 
firms to finish the ballots and 
expected to have them all delivered to the JCE by May 2. 
Meanwhile, in the last week of 
April JCE computer experts began final tests of the election 
data processing system. 
 
 
The OAS Weighs In 
 
Visiting OAS Deputy Secretary General Ramdin, in town for an 
OAS justice ministers' 
meeting, helped calm the waters by meeting with JCE 
administrative chamber president 
Nelson Gmez and expressing to the press his confidence that 
there will be clean elections, 
a feeling that he confirmed on April 27 to the Ambassador and 
Embassy officers.  Gmez 
announced that the OAS would send 67 election observers. 
 
Ramdin told the Ambassador and other donor country 
ambassadors that an advance group 
headed by OAS observation mission chief Rubn Perina would 
arrive here April 30 and begin 
work May 1 (despite the local holiday).  The EU, Brazil, and 
Canada have committed along 
with the United States to fund the OAS mission.  The 
diplomats discussed with Ramdin 
arrangements for volunteer diplomatic observers to operate 
under the OAS umbrella on 
election day. 
 
 
JCE's "Original Sin" 
 
The political alignment of JCE judges is generally 
acknowledged.  Six of the nine judges 
came  from the ranks of the PRD, now in the opposition; two 
have ties to the opposition 
PRSC; and only  one is identified with the ruling PLD.  JCE 
plenary president Luis rias, 
formerly of the Hatuey DeCamps faction of the PRD, has moved 
closer to President Fernndez 
since Hatuey bolted and formed his own party. 
 
ven so, Embassy has not noted any bias in JCE deciions in 
this campaign, and the same 
JCE in 200 performed impartially during a more emotionallycharged election than this 
one.  At the technical level, the JCE has strong management; 
Cruz Herase has been at the 
JCE since 1996, through six elctions and four 
administrations of different paries. 
 
As in 2004, the main concern will be the stance of the JCE's 
dispute resolution chamber 
when, as is likely, some local or provincial elections are 
disputed on election day or 
immediately after.   Even if, as we expect, the electoral 
process works well overall, 
there is potential for local flashpoints.  Leaders of the 
ruling party worry that, when 
the chips are down, the PRD-linked judges will Qow bias in 
throwing one or another local 
contest to the opposition.  Although such decisions cannot be 
ruled out in isolated 
instances where ambiguous circumstances might allow leeway in 
interpretation, they are 
unlikely to swing the election results at a national level. 
 
As one contact remarked to political officer, the JCE is 
itself running for reelection. 
It is elected by the Senate in accord with the Dominican 
constitution.  Depending on the 
party balance in the new Senate after August 16, the current 
judges could get four more 
years if the PRD retains a majority or could be replaced if 
the PLD gains a majority or 
plurality, with enough leverage to force consensus) 
Regardless of its generally good 
track record, the JCE is not entirely disinterested in the 
outcome. 
 
¶2.   (U) Drafted by Bainbridge Cowell. 
 
 ¶3.  (U) This piece and others in our series can be consulted 
at our SIPRNET web site 
(http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/santodomingo)  along with 
extensive other material. 
KUBISKE