Drug traffickers could sponsor presidential candidates: Senator

Santo Domingo.- Senator Aristides Victoria Yeb warned Tues. that there’s a risk that organized crime and drug trafficking will sponsor presidential candidates for the 2020 elections if Congress fails to pass the Political Parties Law.

“The issue isn’t transparency in the staging of elections, because the Central Electoral Board is obliged to organize a clean process. Now, if there is no cap on the spending by candidates, we will have candidates with money not very clear, as we currently have, where some legislators, mayors and council members who have had problems with justice,” said the senator for María Trinidad Sánchez.

“If the control of expenses and greater transparency in the parties and internal democracy isn’t approved, the organizations know that the democratic future is uncertain,” said the ruling party (PLD) lawmaker.

He called the passing of the Parties Law “urgent to avert that danger,” because in his view it has a scaffolding that allows citizens to have an active participation in the transparency of organizations.

“In no party are there clear rules for the staging of internal processes, and much less referees,” he said.

He added that to prevent organized crime from affecting the elections, the Parties Law obliges those organizations to post on their website who finances them and how much they finance,” which is something innovative and important.”