Santo Domingo.- The recently concluded municipal elections not only witnessed the dominant victory of the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) in numerous municipalities but also showcased a significant surge in electoral abstention across districts.
A glaring example is the Greater Santo Domingo area, including key squares like the National District, where the incumbent mayor, Carolina Mejía, secured triumph amid a staggering 74% abstention rate, based on the majority of counted votes.
This substantial level of abstention prompts a reconsideration of the debate regarding the amalgamation of municipal elections with the presidential and congressional elections slated for May, setting the stage for the next electoral cycle in 2028.
Illustratively, in the National District, encompassing 918,021 eligible voters for municipal elections, only 25.97% exercised their voting rights, accounting for just over 234 thousand individuals.
Similarly, in Santo Domingo Este, the country’s largest municipality, where Dio Astacio of the PRM emerged as the apparent winner, a mere 26.23% participated, with less than 200 thousand votes recorded when over 81% had been tallied by the Central Electoral Board.
Santo Domingo Norte witnessed an even lower turnout, with only 22.30% casting votes, translating to an almost 80% abstention rate. Betty Gerónimo of the PRM virtually secured victory in this municipality.
Santo Domingo Oeste reported a 24.37% turnout, resulting in an abstention rate close to 80%, with just 70,476 valid votes when 70% had already been counted.
Boca Chica experienced a comparatively higher participation rate at 32.95%, with nearly 20 thousand votes from its 60 thousand registered voters, resulting in an abstention of less than 70%.
Conversely, Los Alcarrizos surpassed an 80% abstention rate, recording only 18.67% of votes cast.
In Santiago, a high abstention of 27.02% was noted, with only 133,156 of the 502,683 registered voters participating in this municipality, where Ulises Rodríguez of the PRM secured a virtual victory with over 60%.
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These statistics are alarming. It is a bad sign when nearly 75% of the eligible voters are disinterested in theor local politics. Hopefully things will get a lot better by the time the presidential election rolls around.