Dominican Republic Elections 2020
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WMHSMUN XXXIV Dominican Republic Elections 2020 Background Guide “Unprecedented committees. Unparalleled debate. Unmatched fun.” Letters From the Directors Dear Delegates, Hi, everyone! My name is Hannah Dahl and I am your Committee Director for the 2020 Dominican Republic Elections! I’m so excited for my first opportunity to direct a WMHSMUN committee! Alondra and I have been working together these last few months to craft an engaging and interesting committee for you all, so it’s my hope that your experience here will push you to find meaningful connections with the world around you and answers for the issues within it. Here at William and Mary, I am a sophomore and Biology major from Newport News, Virginia. I did Model UN in high school, so last fall I joined the International Relations Club and have been enthusiastic about its work ever since. Outside of IRC, I am a part of RUF (Reformed University Fellowship) and Tribe Scribes (a calligraphy club!). If I’m not hanging out with friends and debating the best breakfast foods, you can find me hammocking, drinking coffee, and/or making niche Spotify playlists. With regards to this committee, Alondra and I are looking for delegates who are able to cleverly craft crisis arcs that drive debate while being positive and welcoming to other delegates in the room. The 2020 Dominican Republic elections are important because of ongoing relations with the United States and considerations as to how the President will handle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the weekend, your skills to defend the candidate of your choice will truly impact the future of the Dominican Republic and possibly the world of International Relations. Please feel free to reach out to myself or Alondra with any questions you may have about the committee, and we will do our best to answer them. We are so excited to welcome you to (virtual) WMHSMUN soon! Hannah Dahl hgdahl@email.wm.edu Background Guide – Dominican Republic Elections Dear Delegates, Hello everyone! My name is Alondra Belford, and it is my pleasure to welcome you all to the first virtual iteration of WMHSMUN! I am so ecstatic for my second (and unfortunately last) time crisis directing! As someone with a heavy interest in Latin American politics, the Dominican Republic election of 2020 is something I followed fairly closely. I am so excited to work with Hannah to create an engaging and wonderful experience for you all! Here is some information about me: I am a rising senior from Virginia Beach, VA and am double majoring in Government and Global Studies with a concentration in Latin American Studies (big surprise) with an unofficial minor in Hispanic Studies. I joined the International Relations Club in the spring semester of my sophomore year, and I never looked back. The friends and memories that I have made in my time in Model UN have been priceless, and I am excited for you all to make memories through our committee this year. In my free time, you can find me binge watching Criminal Minds on Netflix or eating copious amounts of Chipotle. In terms of this committee specifically, I am looking for creativity and thought in your crisis arcs. I understand that circumstances are different now with the ongoing pandemic, but I hope we are still all able to have a quality conference with interesting and surprising arcs. The 2020 Dominican Republican Election is so important because there will be a new president in office and the future of the Dominican Republic is in the hands of who the people decide to elect. Your characters will be formatted so that each of you supports at least one of the candidates for President. Be sure to think about inventive and creative ideas to get your preferred candidate elected into office! Your decisions could influence the future of the Dominican Republic! I am always available to help. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me. I look forward to seeing you all (virtually) soon! Alondra Belford aybelford@email.wm.edu 2 Background Guide – Dominican Republic Elections Introduction This committee begins in April 2020. The six candidates are all registered and have been campaigning for the presidency. The 2020 election is important internationally as the Dominican Republic has had heightened tensions with the United States since former President Medina broke diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of China. The candidates have various positions on their relationships with China, Taiwan, and the United States. Domestically, there are questions about how the elected President will handle issues such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and rumors of corruption within the Dominican government. During the 2020 elections, there were several rumors of fraud with the initial elections. This led to uproar from the general public and subsequent protests demanding a democratic government. As members of the Dominican government, it is your job to advocate for the candidate that most aligns with your political values to ensure the future success of the Dominican Republic. Topic 1: Presidential Candidates Introduction For the 2020 elections, there are six registered candidates: Luis Abinader, Gonzalo Castillo, Leonel Fernández, Guillermo Moreno García, Juan Cohen, and Ismael Reyes Cruz. In addition to the president and the vice president, 190 deputies to the Chamber of Deputies and 32 senators to the Chamber of Senators will be determined through this election. In terms of debate, the dais will be looking for how you are able to properly argue for the candidate of your choice based on their stances on the most important issues to Dominican citizens. Before diving into the presidential candidates and their stances on important issues, it is first necessary to understand the structure of the Dominican government, as their structure differs from the United States. Structure of Dominican Government One is eligible to vote in elections in the Dominican Republic if they are at least 18 years of age with no previous criminal record for any sort of conspiracy against the country. Further, voters cannot be members of the national police or the armed forces. One is eligible to run for the President of the Dominican Republic if they are at least 30 years of age, have not previously served in the armed forces or 3 Background Guide – Dominican Republic Elections the police at least one year prior to their election. All candidates must possess all political and civil rights, meaning that they cannot be imprisoned at any point or any other violations that may eliminate their candidacy. As per the constitution, elected presidents have an extensive list of powers which include, but are not limited to, the appointments and removals of other elected officials, the ability to command and deploy the armed forces, and the power to eliminate basic civil and political rights in times of emergency. Similar to the United States, the Dominican Republic government is divided into the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The legislative branch is divided into the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. The Senate consists of 32 members that are elected through plurality votes, meaning that candidates receive more votes than any other candidate but is less than 50% of the total votes cast. The Chamber of Deputies consists of 178 members elected through an open-list proportional representation system, meaning that voters cannot only vote for their preferred political party, but their preferred candidate within that political party. All members of Congress serve four-year terms. The judicial branch is made up of the Supreme Court, similar to the United States, which listens to the actions of Congress and the president to determine the constitutionality of these actions. The 16 members of the Supreme Court and other court judges are appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary. The sole role of this National Council is to appoint and approve judges on the circuit. Unlike the United States, Supreme Court judges serve seven-year terms, while other constitutional court judges serve nine-year terms. The executive branch of the Dominican Republic is almost exactly similar to that of the United States, consisting of the president, who appoints his cabinet. Further, the president serves as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and executes laws passed by Congress. The president, like members of Congress, serves four-year terms. The largest difference between the executive branch of the Dominican Republic and the United States is the process by which the president is elected. Elections in the Dominican Republic are fairly straightforward: the candidate who receives 50% +1 of the votes wins the election. If a candidate does not achieve the majority votes, a runoff election will be held between the top two candidates until a winner is determined. The Dominican Republic has two primary political parties: The Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) and the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD). The PLD has been dominating presidential elections, having successfully elected a presidential candidate for 16 of the previous 20 years. 4 Background Guide – Dominican Republic Elections Current Presidential Candidates Below is a list of presidential candidates, with brief descriptions of their previous careers prior to running for president, as well as some of their stances on important issues. As supporting members of these candidates, you will most likely agree with at least one of these political candidates and should structure your debate around these points. Luis Abinader → Luis Abinader was born in 1967 in the capital city of Santo Domingo. His father, José Rafael Abinader, was a Senator in Dominican Congress. He is running for president with the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM). His platform, under the slogan “A Country for Its People,” has the following policies: The promotion of an equal distribution of income for all citizens, the advancement of police reform to help with crime rates, addressing corruption by hiring an independent attorney general, and addressing gender discrimination.