SANTO DOMINGO.— The Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) announced this Wednesday the suspension of the citizen consultation that was scheduled for October 18, 2026, through which it planned to measure the support for its presidential candidates.
The decision was communicated by the Organizing Commission for the Consultation on Presidential Aspirants, which explained that the PLD does not have the necessary number of machines to carry out the process using the automated voting system.
You may be interested in: PLD leaders respond to questions about their internal consultation
According to the party organization, the Central Electoral Board (JCE) provided 600 of the 2,200 pieces of equipment that, according to the PLD, were necessary to carry out the day throughout the national territory, including the equipment intended for contingencies.
The Organizing Committee maintained that it required all of the equipment to ensure that the consultation could be carried out simultaneously and with national coverage.
More Read
The PLD thanked the sectors of the JCE that, as it stated, recognized the right of political parties to use the available equipment and facilitated the resources that were within their reach.
However, the Organizing Commission stated that other sectors had yielded to pressure from opposing political organizations, which, according to their version, hindered the delivery of the remaining equipment. This statement corresponds to the position publicly expressed by the PLD.
“Without those 1,600 machines, there is no automated voting. And without automated voting, the mandate of the Central Committee is materially impossible to execute,” stated the Organizing Commission of the consultation.
More Read
JCE rejected PLD request
The Central Electoral Board had previously rejected the PLD‘s request to provide 1,800 additional pieces of equipment for the October 18th activity, considering that a consultation of that nature was not contemplated among the acts permitted by electoral legislation during the current stage of the electoral calendar.
Given this situation, the Organizing Committee formally communicated the suspension of the day and indicated that the decision will be processed through the corresponding party bodies.
The PLD indicated that the Organizing Commission does not have the authority to modify on its own initiative the decision adopted by the Central Committee, so it will continue the procedure in accordance with the organization’s internal provisions.
The suspended consultation was intended to measure the level of support among citizens for the leaders aspiring to represent the PLD in the 2028 presidential elections.
The organization further reported that the formal selection of its presidential candidacy will take place starting in July 2027, within the deadlines established by electoral legislation and in accordance with its statutes.
The PLD explained that this new date corresponds to the formal process of selecting the presidential candidacy and will be carried out in accordance with the electoral rules in force for that period.
More Read
The suspension of the October 18th consultation modifies the internal calendar that the PLD had established to determine the level of support for its presidential hopefuls, although the organization maintains its commitment to carry out the selection of its candidacy within the period established by law.
The Organizing Commission must now submit the decision to the corresponding party bodies to complete the internal procedure. In the meantime, the PLD will continue with its organizational activities ahead of the selection process for its presidential candidacy for the 2028 elections.
In addition, the PLD reported that it will continue working on the organization of its internal process, while its party bodies review and formalize the decision to suspend the consultation. The organization reiterated that the selection of its presidential candidacy will take place starting in July 2027, in accordance with the calendar established by electoral legislation and its internal rules.
