Santo Domingo.— Opposition sectors expressed reservations and criticisms regarding the proposal to reduce by 50% the funds allocated to political parties, while questioning the coherence of the economic measures adopted by the Government. The leader of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), Iván Lorenzo, reported that this organization has not yet established an official position on the initiative. However, in a personal capacity, he indicated that he is willing to support sacrifices when the country requires it, as long as they are fair and focused. Lorenzo warned that he does not support cuts to the financing of the democratic system while, according to what he stated, the Government maintains expenses on political pensions and advertising that he described as misleading. In that sense, he considered that the authorities should prioritize the recovery of resources from corruption cases. Likewise, he questioned the meetings between political actors and the Government, pointing out that they have been “just for photos”, without concrete proposals that generate trust.
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From his side, the deputy Ramón Raposo, from the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), maintained that the measures to face the crisis derived from the conflict between Iran, the United States, and Israel must be evaluated carefully, but criticized that the Government acts, as he said, with announcements aimed at making headlines. “The country needs more than speeches. State mechanisms must be created to stop the waste, especially when the population is asked for sacrifice”, he expressed. Raposo insisted that the Government must explain in detail how it will guarantee the announced savings, estimated at close to 40 billion pesos, and establish effective controls so that these measures do not remain mere declarations or populist actions, as in his opinion occurs with the budget cuts to the parties. The debate on reducing political funding is framed within discussions about the use of public resources and the State’s responses to the current economic context.
