Top Dominican official rebukes US’ push to observe election

Santo Domingo.- Central Electoral Board (JCE) president RobertoRosario on Tuesday said no state has the right to observe another’s electionsbecause once it does, it violates that nation’s sovereignty.

The official’s statement comes just 24 hours after to theUS Embassy announced being invited to observe the May 15 general elections, andtwo days after the UA Agency for International Development (USAID) submittedits request to the JCE.

Rosario said it’s up to the electoral entity and citizensof every nation to certify an election.

“What the JCE has done is invite the ambassadors representingthe various States to be part of the process, and then they inform their governmentson the result and deficiencies though the appropriate diplomatic channels, andif and when there were weaknesses in the electoral process," the officialsaid.

Speaking in the panel "Elections, Politics andCommunication: from the subjective to the real," Rosario said that in DominicanRepublic’s case, it doesn’t have to intervene in any election of anothernation, although it can go to work and provide technical assistance.

"No State has the right to observe the elections ofanother, if it’s a sovereign state," Rosario said when asked if heharbored any kind of fear that the US will come to observe the election.