TSE annuls PRD party president’s expulsion

Santo Domingo.- The Superior Electoral Tribunal annulled Miguel VargasMaldonado’s suspension and several other leading members’ expulsion from theopposition PRD party on Friday evening.

Magistrates MarianoRodríguez, José Manuel Hernández Peguero, Marino Mendoza, Mabel Féliz and JohnGuiliani accepted the appeal for protection submitted by Aníbal García Duvergé,Julio Maríñez, Víctor Gómez Casanova and Rafael Francisco Vásquez Paulino,members of the Miguel Vargas Maldonado faction, who were asking for therestoration of their rights that had been suspended as members by the PoliticalCommission on June 1.

The judges ruled that thePRD political commission decision was in violation of article 69 of theConstitution and ordered unanimously that Vargas Maldonado should bere-established in his role as party president.

The TSE had previouslyrejected Hipólito Mejía’s lawyers’ request that it should declare itselfincompetent to hear the appeal on an internal decision within the PRD on thegrounds that the request “did not follow procedure, was unfounded and lackedlegal basis”.

Mejia’s faction responded bysaying that democracy in the country was at risk as a result of the TSE’sintervention in an internal party matter.

“This is not just a problem for the PRD,this is an issue that affects all the political organizations, the civilsociety institutions and the business sector who consider that the exercise oftheir rights is being threatened”, said Andrés Batista, leader of the Mejíasupporters faction.