Dominicans abroad to vote in upcoming elections
Dominican Republic nationals living abroad can 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 responsible political leadership. This forces us to use all the means 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.
JCE will provide the list of voting stations, and the organisation said polling stations will follow all regulations.
The projected cut-off date to register for the election is next Sunday.
Jáquez Liranzo commented, “Approximately 875,000 Dominican men and women will be registered, representing 12 per cent of the Dominican electorate. Therefore, it will be the registry from abroad that will have the greatest impact on the elections.”
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