People protesting a constitutional reform that would have allowed Dominican President Danilo Medina a third term in office, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, July 12, 2019 (AP photo by Tatiana Fernandez).
In the Dominican Republic, Protests Could Challenge the Ruling Party’s Grip
Millions of voters in the Dominican Republic got a surprise when they showed up to cast their ballots in municipal elections on Feb. 16. Several hours after balloting had begun, the government said it had found inconsistencies in the functioning of voting machines and ordered the immediate suspension of the elections. In numerous cases, opposition candidates’ names did not appear on the electronic ballots. The next day, the country’s electoral board announced the municipal elections would be postponed to March 15, and would be conducted with paper ballots.
The cause of the malfunctioning voting system, which was recently purchased for a total of $19 million, is not immediately clear. The Organization of American States is investigating the issue at the Dominican government’s request, and no evidence has emerged to suggest the machines were tampered with. ...