Municipal woes

[NewsWhore]

The struggle between different political parties and their internal factions to place themselves in advantageous positions for the 2010 elections is taking its toll at a number of municipalities across the country. Within the Dominican political system, the major city councils have control over the municipal districts, and can appoint the mayor and his aides as well as the council members. Thus, a PLD city government can appoint PLD members to all of the smaller municipal district towns, assuring patronage and political viability for the elections. The same works for the PRD and PRSC controlled city governments. According to Diario Libre, just a few hours after the three parties agreed to stop the process, two more cases, at La Caleta and La Victoria in Santo Domingo province, brought the total to more than 40 cases. In Constanza and Moca similar manipulations are ongoing, causing public protests that stalled traffic on roadways for hours. Spokespersons from the Federation of Dominican Municipal Districts are calling upon President Fernandez to step in and do something about this. The struggle to make changes comes after Congress passed a bill that would freeze the incumbents until 2010.

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