Page 86 - Conducting Elections during COVID-19

68 INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF CONDUCTING ELECTIONS DURING COVID-19

VIEWED: Decree No. 161-20, of May 17, 2020, through which It extends the curfew throughout the
national territory until the 1st.June of the current year, from Monday to Saturday from 7:00 p.m. m. at
5:00 a.m. m. and Sundays from 5:00 p.m. at 5:00 a.m.

SEEN: Resolution No. 42-2020, dated April 13, 2020, issued by the Central Electoral Board, on
postponement due to force higher due to health emergency than general ordinary elections presidential,
senatorial and deputations of the Republic Dominican.
VIEWS: Considerations for Establishing a ~ rotodlo for Holding Elections in the Context of a Health
Crisis, recommended by the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights(IIHR / CAPEL), April 2020.
VIEWS: Suggestions from the National Election Commission of The Republic Of Korea (National
Election Commission of the Republic Korea) dated April 15, 2020.
SEEN: Suggestions to the Health Protocol in the Elections of Dominican Republic, recommended by
the Organization Pan American Health (PAHO), dated May 13, 2020.

VIEWED: The technical document of “Caring for Health and Elections”, submitted by the International
Foundation for Systems Consulting Electoral(IFES) as of May 14, 2020.

VIEWS: The suggestions and recommendations of the Political Parties, in regarding the sanitary
protocol.

WHEREAS: That the Dominican Constitution establishes in its Article 211: “Organization of elections.
Elections will be organized, directed and supervised by the Central Electoral Board and the’ electoral
offices under their dependency, which have the responsibility to guarantee freedom, transparency,
equity and subjectivity of the elections. “
CONSIDERING: That according to the indicated Resolution No. 62-20 and Decree 134-20, the
Executive Power is authorized to provide the restrictions, for a strictly necessary time, on the freedoms
of transit and meeting, in accordance with the provisions of letters h) and j) ofnumeral6 of article 266
of the Constitution and numerals 8 and 10 ofArticle1 1 of Act No. 31 -1 8.
WHEREAS: That the outbreak That the infectious outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19),declared a
pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO),oris causing serious damage to the health of the
population, affecting the life and economy, both in our country and around the world.

CONSIDERING: That the Constitution of the Republic, provides in itsArticle61, the following: “Right
to health. Everyone has right to comprehensive health. In consecuense:1) The State must ensure /
protecting the health of all people, access to waterdrinking, improvement of food, health services,
hygienic conditions, environmental sanitation, as well as seeking the means for the prevention and
treatment of all diseases(...) “.
CONSIDERING: That within the sanitary measures adopted, the more effectiveto contain the
expansion of COVID-19, recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), and assumed by
the Ministry of Public Health of the Dominican Republic, consists of reorder social contact in order to
reduce crowding Persons and in this way prevent massive contagion or transmission community, which
requires establishing restrictions on the movement of people and crowds.
WHEREAS: That the drafters of the text of the current Constitutionwere unable to foresee the
occurrence of a unexpected and potentially lethal event for the country and the humanity, as is the
COVID-19 pandemic.
WHEREAS: Furthermore, it is an obligation of this BoardCentral Electoral, take the pertinent measures
to guarantee thesecurity of its electoral officials, of the Electoral Military Police,as well as of the
electors, the day of the elections.
WHEREAS: That the circumstance of force majeure of ahealth emergency, in this case, has an
unpredictable cause andirresistible, creating unprecedented situations.
WHEREAS: The Dominican Electoral System does not foresee the Voting by mail, early voting and
voting by mail modalities.
WHEREAS: That the exercise of voting in the electoral systemDominican demands the physical
presence of the voters, and in the currentcircumstances would put the health of the voters at risk, since
it isthe gathering of voters in the precincts is necessary.
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