Hipolito Mejia complains at the OAS about supposed irregularities in the elections
The mission that the OAS sent had validated the celebration of the elections
Diario Libre
SD. The former presidential candidate, Hipolito Mejia, filed a complaint before the Organization of American States (OAS) that said that during the recent electoral process there were diverse irregularities committed which violated laws, regulations and norms in order to favor the administration's candidate, Danilo Medina.
Mejia's position is contained in a report sent to the organization last 29 May, in which he says that before, during and after the elections of 20 May, there were serious events that took place against the will of the people and carried out by the government.
He argued his position with the use and abuse of state resources, which he said were beyond even the expectations of President Leonel Fernandez, who he said should have been the guarantor or the free exercise of the right to vote and was not. He also mentioned the purchasing of the voter identification cards (cédulas). Besides that he made a note of the fact that there were plots against lives of well known political figures, there was illegal tapping of telephones and arrests of PRD members.
In the case of the use of State resources, he pointed out that in spite of the different cases submitted to the Central Electoral Board by the PRD and other political organizations of the opposition, that agency never took a decision with regard to any of them, and this is irrefutable proof of their partiality.
He said that during the election process, the government used enormous resources in order to exercise a monopolistic control of the media, closing off the access to these outlets to the opposition parties and impeding a fair and balanced treatment.
Mejia referred to the fact that in spite of the OAS observers recognizing the purchase of the cédulas, they certified and validated the elections.
In that sense, he said that the question should be asked: If they saw the purchase of cédulas, how can they say that these were democratic and clean elections? How many cédulas could they buy? And why with the purchase of so many cédulas could the PLD not obtain 50% of the votes? And one last question: Can the OAS certify that the cédulas purchased by the government, which they themselves admit, did not alter the results of the elections?
OAS report differs from Hipolito's position
SD. The report of the OAS Observers Mission which attributed the purchase of cédulas and votes to members of the different parties that took part in the last elections, contradicts the complaint delivered to the regional organization by the former presidential candidate of the Dominican Revolutionary Party, Hipolito Mejia, who accused the ruling Dominican Liberation Party of this action.
In their report the mission that was headed by the former president of Uruguay, Tabare Vasquez and that was composed of 71 observers, congratulated the Central Electoral Board for the organization of the election process.
"During election day, the observers were able to find evidence of the purchase of cédulas and votes by members of the different political forces in the election," said the OAS commissioners.
In a similar manner, after the counting of 99% of the voting acts, the OAS secretary general, Hose Miguel Inzulza, congratulated the President-elect Danilo Medina and the Vice-President-elect Margarita Cedeño de Fernandez. Nonetheless, in his letter Mejia insists and questions the fact that the organization (OAS) would classify the elections as "democratic and clean" in spite of the fact that their observers witnessed the purchase of cédulas.
Among the recommendations that the OAS made for the strengthening of the electoral and democratic processes in the country was that the JCE should monitor and take effective measures with relation to the complaints of violence, the purchase of cédulas, and of votes. The OAS mission will present to the Permanent Council of the OAS a report on the results of the election observations.
Mejia's position is contained in a report sent to the organization last 29 May, in which he says that before, during and after the elections of 20 May, there were serious events that took place against the will of the people and carried out by the government.
He argued his position with the use and abuse of state resources, which he said were beyond even the expectations of President Leonel Fernandez, who he said should have been the guarantor or the free exercise of the right to vote and was not. He also mentioned the purchasing of the voter identification cards (cédulas). Besides that he made a note of the fact that there were plots against lives of well known political figures, there was illegal tapping of telephones and arrests of PRD members.
In the case of the use of State resources, he pointed out that in spite of the different cases submitted to the Central Electoral Board by the PRD and other political organizations of the opposition, that agency never took a decision with regard to any of them, and this is irrefutable proof of their partiality.
He said that during the election process, the government used enormous resources in order to exercise a monopolistic control of the media, closing off the access to these outlets to the opposition parties and impeding a fair and balanced treatment.
Mejia referred to the fact that in spite of the OAS observers recognizing the purchase of the cédulas, they certified and validated the elections.
In that sense, he said that the question should be asked: If they saw the purchase of cédulas, how can they say that these were democratic and clean elections? How many cédulas could they buy? And why with the purchase of so many cédulas could the PLD not obtain 50% of the votes? And one last question: Can the OAS certify that the cédulas purchased by the government, which they themselves admit, did not alter the results of the elections?
OAS report differs from Hipolito's position
SD. The report of the OAS Observers Mission which attributed the purchase of cédulas and votes to members of the different parties that took part in the last elections, contradicts the complaint delivered to the regional organization by the former presidential candidate of the Dominican Revolutionary Party, Hipolito Mejia, who accused the ruling Dominican Liberation Party of this action.
In their report the mission that was headed by the former president of Uruguay, Tabare Vasquez and that was composed of 71 observers, congratulated the Central Electoral Board for the organization of the election process.
"During election day, the observers were able to find evidence of the purchase of cédulas and votes by members of the different political forces in the election," said the OAS commissioners.
In a similar manner, after the counting of 99% of the voting acts, the OAS secretary general, Hose Miguel Inzulza, congratulated the President-elect Danilo Medina and the Vice-President-elect Margarita Cedeño de Fernandez. Nonetheless, in his letter Mejia insists and questions the fact that the organization (OAS) would classify the elections as "democratic and clean" in spite of the fact that their observers witnessed the purchase of cédulas.
Among the recommendations that the OAS made for the strengthening of the electoral and democratic processes in the country was that the JCE should monitor and take effective measures with relation to the complaints of violence, the purchase of cédulas, and of votes. The OAS mission will present to the Permanent Council of the OAS a report on the results of the election observations.
Diario Libre
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