NewsWhore
05-04-2006, 02:10 PM
Meanwhile, sociologist Ramon Tejada Holguin writes in today's El Caribe that the transfer of 3,454 people's voting stations, or one out of every five voters currently registered in Pedernales province, leads to speculation that this could be related to the Bahia de las Aguilas tourism development. "One could think that that movement has to do with the objective of controlling the mayor, deputy and senator positions to influence the tourism development of the Bahia de las Aguilas area, located in Pedernales. A hypothesis that causes concern." He says that Pedernales has two municipalities where people vote: Oviedo that in the 2004 election had 7,760 registered voters and where the PRD won with 2,275 votes, and the PRSC was second with 1,665 votes. In the present voting list, those that have been relocated to vote in Oviedo now number 1,773, or more than the votes that the party that came in second obtained in the 2004 municipal election.
Tejada goes on to explain that 74.1% of the voters that have been relocated to Oviedo, or 1,314 voted in the National District and Santo Domingo in the past election. He said there is no sense in this because it is unlikely that there would have been such a high flow of people from affluent areas to a depressed area.
Tejada says that the situation is similar for Pedernales. The difference between the PRD, that won the municipal election and the PRSC, which came in second, was of 610 voters, but the voters that have been displaced add up to 1,681. Again, 60.4% of those who have been relocated are from Santo Domingo and the National District, or 1,015 voters.
He explains that the difference in the Congressionals is even greater. The difference between the PRD in first place and the PRSC in second place was 2,438 voters, and now those who come from a province other than Pedernales are 3,454. The candidate who obtained second place in 2004 received 1,896 votes, or around half of those that have been relocated.
Tejada says that Participacion Ciudadana volunteers have visited around 30 households in each municipality, or 60 in total, where supposedly those who have relocated are now living, and did not find those voters. Some of the addresses were non-residential, others were vacant lots, and at other addresses, the voter was not known.
He urges that the problem of the voters who have been relocated to Pedernales be investigated and measures taken to take the lawbreakers to justice. "This is not a matter to be left without penalty," he writes. "Is the desire to engage in the exploitation of Bahia de las Aguilas and the tourism development potential of the province behind this?" he wonders.
Link To Original Article (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)
Tejada goes on to explain that 74.1% of the voters that have been relocated to Oviedo, or 1,314 voted in the National District and Santo Domingo in the past election. He said there is no sense in this because it is unlikely that there would have been such a high flow of people from affluent areas to a depressed area.
Tejada says that the situation is similar for Pedernales. The difference between the PRD, that won the municipal election and the PRSC, which came in second, was of 610 voters, but the voters that have been displaced add up to 1,681. Again, 60.4% of those who have been relocated are from Santo Domingo and the National District, or 1,015 voters.
He explains that the difference in the Congressionals is even greater. The difference between the PRD in first place and the PRSC in second place was 2,438 voters, and now those who come from a province other than Pedernales are 3,454. The candidate who obtained second place in 2004 received 1,896 votes, or around half of those that have been relocated.
Tejada says that Participacion Ciudadana volunteers have visited around 30 households in each municipality, or 60 in total, where supposedly those who have relocated are now living, and did not find those voters. Some of the addresses were non-residential, others were vacant lots, and at other addresses, the voter was not known.
He urges that the problem of the voters who have been relocated to Pedernales be investigated and measures taken to take the lawbreakers to justice. "This is not a matter to be left without penalty," he writes. "Is the desire to engage in the exploitation of Bahia de las Aguilas and the tourism development potential of the province behind this?" he wonders.
Link To Original Article (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)