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Preliminary Report of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission to the Dominican Republic

The full Preliminary Report is available here.

The Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States (OAS/EOM), led by the former Foreign Minister of Paraguay, Eladio Loizaga, congratulates the people of the Dominican Republic for the municipal elections held last Sunday, February 18, and applauds the civic commitment of those who turned out to vote for their leaders and representatives, as well as the dedication of the public servants, electoral board members, and poll workers who made the successful organization of these elections possible. It is important to acknowledge the ongoing collaboration and dialogue between electoral authorities, political parties, and civil society that characterized the lead-up to these elections.

Given the cancellation of the elections in 2020, electoral authorities faced a major challenge in terms of the organization of the poll and the need to bolster the confidence of citizens and political actors in the electoral process. The Mission highlights the work of the Central Electoral Board (JCE), which adopted timely measures, provided guarantees for transparent elections, and organized a successful process, allowing the country to continue working toward strengthening its democratic system. The OAS/EOM also highlights the work of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) in the performance of its duties.

The Mission is concerned that participation in the electoral process declined in comparison with previous municipal elections in the Dominican Republic. According to preliminary figures from the JCE, 46.67% of the electorate went to the polls in the 2024 elections. As it has done in other electoral processes in the region undergoing this phenomenon, the OAS/EOM stresses the importance of considering each election an opportunity for citizens to make their voices heard. Given the scale of the challenge, it urges the different stakeholders to analyze the reasons for the low participation by citizens so measures can be taken to encourage a greater voter turnout in the future and joint efforts can be made to reverse this disconnect between representatives and constituents.

The OAS/EOM stresses that in most parts of the country the elections took place peacefully, despite isolated incidents reported before and on Election Day. The Mission condemns the episodes of violence that took place in some areas of the country, and regrets the incidents that occurred in Montecristi and Azua, which led to the death of two political leaders.

The OAS/EOM arrived in the country in a staggered manner starting on February 8, with 16 members of six different nationalities. It focused on key issues including electoral organization, electoral technology, electoral justice, political financing, and women’s political participation, following up on the recommendations issued by past OAS missions to the country. It was also deployed in the National District and in the province of Santo Domingo to observe the preparations and the conduct of Election Day activities in municipalities and municipal districts.

To collect information on the electoral process, the members of the Mission met with leaders and representatives of political organizations, electoral and governmental authorities, candidates, and representatives of civil society organizations to hear different perspectives on the election.

PRE-ELECTION STAGE

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The full Preliminary Report is available here.

Reference: S-003