NewsWhore
09-07-2006, 03:20 PM
Several senators, including the president of the Senate, do not agree with the observation of President Leonel Fernandez that the judges of the Central Electoral Board (JCE) be chosen by the National Council of the Magistracy. At present the ruling party is absolute majority in the Senate.
The National Council of the Magistracy (CNM) is presided by the President of the Republic. Other members are the president of the Senate, a senator that belongs to a different party than that of the president of the Senate, the president of the Chamber of Deputies and a deputy that belongs to a different party than the president of the Chamber, the president of the Supreme Court and a judge of the Supreme Court chosen by the members of the Supreme Court. That is, the three government branches are represented in addition to political parties.
The president of the Senate, Reynaldo Pared Perez said that first a constitutional reform would have to be passed to approve the CNM choosing the judges of the JCE.
Senator Adriano Sanchez Roa (PRSC), Charles Mariotti and Euclides Sanchez (PLD) favor that the 32 senators choose the JCE judges, as reported in El Caribe. The president of the PRSC, Federico Antun Batlle said that the Senate is perfectly capable of choosing judges at the level of the former Cesar Estrella Sadhala and Juan Sully Bonelly, as reported in the Listin Diario. The newspaper highlights the urgency in choosing the judges given that the presidential elections are scheduled for May 2008, and not having to wait for constitutional reform.
Nevertheless, Justo Pedro Castellanos, former director of the Department for the Prevention of Corruption, said that the CNM option will be included in the constitutional reform proposal to be presented soon to Congress by a commission appointed by President Leonel Fernandez.
Lawyer Miguel Reyes Sanchez writes in El Caribe today that the main objective in choosing the new judges should be to achieve the minimum linkages of the JCE judges to political parties in order to ensure fairness in their decisions. He also calls for expanding of the criteria to choose a judge. At the present time, the Electoral Law only allows lawyers to be appointed JCE judges.
Roberto Rodriguez Marchena, spokesman for the President, pointed out that President Fernandez understands that the limiting the appointment of judges to those that are lawyers is obsolete. He mentioned the CNM proposal was included on page 33 of the PLD government program.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)
The National Council of the Magistracy (CNM) is presided by the President of the Republic. Other members are the president of the Senate, a senator that belongs to a different party than that of the president of the Senate, the president of the Chamber of Deputies and a deputy that belongs to a different party than the president of the Chamber, the president of the Supreme Court and a judge of the Supreme Court chosen by the members of the Supreme Court. That is, the three government branches are represented in addition to political parties.
The president of the Senate, Reynaldo Pared Perez said that first a constitutional reform would have to be passed to approve the CNM choosing the judges of the JCE.
Senator Adriano Sanchez Roa (PRSC), Charles Mariotti and Euclides Sanchez (PLD) favor that the 32 senators choose the JCE judges, as reported in El Caribe. The president of the PRSC, Federico Antun Batlle said that the Senate is perfectly capable of choosing judges at the level of the former Cesar Estrella Sadhala and Juan Sully Bonelly, as reported in the Listin Diario. The newspaper highlights the urgency in choosing the judges given that the presidential elections are scheduled for May 2008, and not having to wait for constitutional reform.
Nevertheless, Justo Pedro Castellanos, former director of the Department for the Prevention of Corruption, said that the CNM option will be included in the constitutional reform proposal to be presented soon to Congress by a commission appointed by President Leonel Fernandez.
Lawyer Miguel Reyes Sanchez writes in El Caribe today that the main objective in choosing the new judges should be to achieve the minimum linkages of the JCE judges to political parties in order to ensure fairness in their decisions. He also calls for expanding of the criteria to choose a judge. At the present time, the Electoral Law only allows lawyers to be appointed JCE judges.
Roberto Rodriguez Marchena, spokesman for the President, pointed out that President Fernandez understands that the limiting the appointment of judges to those that are lawyers is obsolete. He mentioned the CNM proposal was included on page 33 of the PLD government program.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)