NewsWhore
09-15-2010, 03:40 PM
136 candidates have registered for consideration as the deadline passed for submitting nominations for aspiring candidates for the five seats of the Central Electoral Board (JCE) and their substitutes, as reported in Diario Libre. Among those registered are eight of the nine current magistrates of the electoral tribunal. Only magistrate Cesar Feliz, a titular member of the Administrative Chamber did not register his candidacy.
Senator Cristina Lizardo, who is chairing the Special Commission for Selecting the Members and Substitutes of the JCE, reported that with the first phase of the process ending, they will begin the evaluation of each of the candidates today, and this process will continue until Friday, 17 September.
Now, the Special Commission for the Selection of the Members and Substitutes of the JCE has the task of sifting through the proposals, which include current chief magistrate, Julio Cesar Castanos Guzman and members John Guiliani, Eddy Olivares, Aura Celeste Fernandez, Roberto Rosario, Jose Angel Aquino, Leyda Margarita Pina and Mariano Rodriguez.
Based on the new Constitution, the election organization that until now is an entity with nine members and two chambers (Disputes and Administrative) will become a Central Electoral Board with a president and four members and their substitutes, elected by the Senate for four years. Moreover, there will be a Higher Electoral Tribunal composed of no less than three or more than five judges and their substitutes, also appointed for four years but by the National Council of Magistrates.
In the meantime, for the Chamber of Accounts, which will be reduced from nine to five members, 230 candidates have to be checked out by the Chamber of Deputies and a shortlist sent to the Senate. The candidates' names have not been released.
Numeral seven of the Transitional Dispositions of the Constitution orders the permanence of the current members of the Central Electoral Board (JCE) in their positions until the new election bodies are created.
According to El Caribe, civic group Citizen Participation (PC) is arguing that the Constitution is being violated with the rush to select the new members (or reaffirm some of the old members) of the JCE. This, in turn, has launched a debate on the legality of the selection process and the possible "contradictions" with what is established in the Constitution. PC executive director Javier Cabreja says that without a change in the law the conditions, the criteria and the incompatibilities for the selection of the members of the JCE are not clearly defined.
On the other hand, Flavio Dario Espinal, an eminent jurist versed in Constitutional Law, does not share this opinion and says that on the contrary, the process for selecting the members of the JCE is in accordance with that is stipulated in the Constitution. He stated that, "Election Law 275-97 is perfectly applicable to the JCE with regard to everything that was not removed in the new Constitution".
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)
Senator Cristina Lizardo, who is chairing the Special Commission for Selecting the Members and Substitutes of the JCE, reported that with the first phase of the process ending, they will begin the evaluation of each of the candidates today, and this process will continue until Friday, 17 September.
Now, the Special Commission for the Selection of the Members and Substitutes of the JCE has the task of sifting through the proposals, which include current chief magistrate, Julio Cesar Castanos Guzman and members John Guiliani, Eddy Olivares, Aura Celeste Fernandez, Roberto Rosario, Jose Angel Aquino, Leyda Margarita Pina and Mariano Rodriguez.
Based on the new Constitution, the election organization that until now is an entity with nine members and two chambers (Disputes and Administrative) will become a Central Electoral Board with a president and four members and their substitutes, elected by the Senate for four years. Moreover, there will be a Higher Electoral Tribunal composed of no less than three or more than five judges and their substitutes, also appointed for four years but by the National Council of Magistrates.
In the meantime, for the Chamber of Accounts, which will be reduced from nine to five members, 230 candidates have to be checked out by the Chamber of Deputies and a shortlist sent to the Senate. The candidates' names have not been released.
Numeral seven of the Transitional Dispositions of the Constitution orders the permanence of the current members of the Central Electoral Board (JCE) in their positions until the new election bodies are created.
According to El Caribe, civic group Citizen Participation (PC) is arguing that the Constitution is being violated with the rush to select the new members (or reaffirm some of the old members) of the JCE. This, in turn, has launched a debate on the legality of the selection process and the possible "contradictions" with what is established in the Constitution. PC executive director Javier Cabreja says that without a change in the law the conditions, the criteria and the incompatibilities for the selection of the members of the JCE are not clearly defined.
On the other hand, Flavio Dario Espinal, an eminent jurist versed in Constitutional Law, does not share this opinion and says that on the contrary, the process for selecting the members of the JCE is in accordance with that is stipulated in the Constitution. He stated that, "Election Law 275-97 is perfectly applicable to the JCE with regard to everything that was not removed in the new Constitution".
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)