I hope that these are not the same persons who monitored the US elections of 2000 and 2004 in Florida and Ohio respectively.

We certainly know what a "great job" they did, right Mr. Gore and Mr. Kerry!

This is the same State Department that can not guarantee the privacy of its citizen's "Passport Records!"

Right Ms. Clinton, Mr. Obama and Mr.McCain!

The OAS is not allowed to monitor US elections, it is allowed to monitor just the elections of countries, like the DR, which US considers its colonies.

The State Department almost certainly was involved in the vote rigging n 2000 in Florida and the rigging in 2004 in Florida and Ohio.

josean,

You took the same words out of my mouth, when i read the headline to this article.
I don't know this smells fishy to me. I don't like this one bit.

Oh, oh Lie-onel Fernandez the PLD Cardinal could not protect you from this "pela de lengua" tongue lashing:

http://www.listin.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=52326

Well I hope we do a better job there than we do here. Look at the mess our parties have created. Florida and Michigan may not have there votes recorded, we have voting equipment that does not work. Perhaps we could fix our own system with the money we are spending elsewhere to monitor elections. Lets monitor our own and make sure it works.

like I said before ....Dig up Balaguer he did a good job with elections and stealing them.....or use cuban example only one candidate

You all forget that it was these same organizations which prevented "El Hipo" from stealing the election, via 'lost ballots', 'confiscated ballots" and intimidation during the 2004 elections here.
These orgs. had a good heart to heart talk with 'El Hipo" anadhe drew back on the PDR's plans to 'steal' the election.
That's common knowledge down here---where were you three during this time?
BTW, the US State Department has absolutely NOTHING to do with US Domestic elections. You guysjust like to spread ANY lie that suits you at the time.

TB

smack the paranoids again wild bill.....how soon they forget

Well, I hope that it is the same organization that looked over the Kenyan's election process. The French agency that monitored that election came out almost immediately and called it a fraud with no fear of repression or negativity from the Keyan government. But I must remind all of you, that the Dominican politcal landscape it is not in the hands of the Dominican people, but in the hands of the dignitaries in Washington. That was precisely the reason why Balguer was able to simply do as he wished, because he was backed by Washington. Since 1965, the Dominican population has been of little impact on the outcome of the country's elections. In those years it was due to the cold war and today it is due to merchantilism, the American's financial interest are above all for Washington. LF will win this elections with ease, not becuase of his popularity at home, but because of his willingness abroad.

dagtan;

You have it all wrong.
What do you possibility base your assertionson? It is thepopulation whichvotes for the President down here. If they want to believe the political parties and their hogwsh,that is their prerrogative, not Washington's. Washington MAY, by a large stretch of theimagination, have an effect on Dominican politics and on the economy through the World Bank andtheIMF, but it is the political parties which rule here.
In other words you are merely another Dominican making excuses for the lack of honor and integrity on the part of the politicians and that's a fact!

TB

TB, if we ever achieve the level of transparency and power of the free press as does exist in some of the developed nations, you will see what I am talking about. The Washignton's under currens are much stronger than what you think. The next president of the DR would be largely desired by Washington, otherwise it would not be as easy. I know sound a bit conspiratory, but in order for you to clearly understand the Dominican political landscape you ough get in contact with people or families that have lived through the different stages of such landscape. Simply conduct a simple poll and ask 20 people in the street if they believe that they, the Dominican people control their politcal system and future, then post the results. The Dominican population has been so neglected when it comes to politics, that they no longer vote for a political belief, but for an agenda and nothing more. The underlining reason for this is the notion that the system is not in their hands to control.

not any more so than Venezuela or Ecuador or Nigaragua

In the DR, politics; determine everything from highest (political) appointments to who sweeps the streets at night. Party politics and patronage are as Dominican as Mangu, Presidente and baseball. It seems that everyone has a vested interest in the current election, but not for the reasons one (us émigrés) might think(the betterment of the state and it‘s people, qualifications of the candidates and who among them is best prepared to make the tough decisions) . Everybody knows that if your party wins it is going to be ur turn to live off the state, no questions asked; this is what ALL political parties in the DR are all about.

all the piggys at the trough......it just that the PLD have piggys The PRD has PIGS

The deal has been cut:

http://www.listin.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=52499

well said, frank.

What about the "Rio Group" ?

Is this really necessary to do? I mean the DR is not a failed state anymore or some poor little infant democracy. So why is it still necessary to "monitor" elections? It's 2008 not 1992!

You people who area always denigrating the USA for all theproblems in LA should take a good hard look at the "investments" made by European Countries", Brazil, Venezuela andMexico before casting the first stone aat this "glass house" called the DR andit's alledged "servant of imperialism" role you clothe it with.
But NO, you are so concentrated in voicing your "master's" opinions and fallacious allegations against the USA that you just don't face the facts of international economics and politics.
When will you get a "life" of your own, instead of marching to the tune of a misguided authors of the early 19th century and who didn't understand the simple human psychology of "self-preservation and ambition"???
Not only are you ALL totally without imagination, but you're STUPID on top of that for not correlating the psychology of human beings with the flawed complte socialism you advocate.

Get inciteful for a change and put some thought into your posts, both pro and con.

TB

Edward;
You ask:
"So why is it necessary to 'monitor' elections? It's 2008 not 1992!"
Very simply put, the DR has a propencity and a history of corrupt management of ALL elections.
The underlying philosophy of ALL the political parties is to WIN at ANY cost.
Do you agree with that?
If not, then you simply haven't read the history of this country in depth, nor really analyzed the various political party's thinking here.
Its all about POWER and the ability and opportunity to gain and maintain that POWER in whatever way they can, both to their individual and collective benefit.
This is the philosophy of all political entities here and has been handed down from generation to generation since before Columbus first landed here. It is rooted in all politics since the time the FIRST politician emerged during thedawn of history..
It's all there in black and white in all history books for you to read and digest.
The "monitoring" is an attempt to mitigate that propencity.

TB

Tb I do really think that sometimes, just sometimes you tend to confuse cultural experiences with cultural diffusion experiences as yours. Or just maybe, you should simply look at what the other perosn is trying to say without giving it away in simplistic terms as you might prefer in order to facilitate understanding. We are simpy voicing life experiences that have been gathered through family and own cultural connections, something that you can not claim when it comes to the DR. Therefore, it is not on you, to provide a quantitative judgement on the posts of other members and their intentions with their post. The basic principle for and acceptable post should truth and facts, and all of the post that I see here have both, therefore, they are acceptable on my book.

Dagatan;
You are probably correct in some of your statement. I must admit to acertain amount of personal experiences in what I post. Everyone does that, as you point out.
However, I also depend on historical fact andgeneral historical interpretation as to how economic,social andpolitical systems have developed throughout history as a basis for many of my commentaries.
There are many reasons as to why, how and when these various systems develop and evolve throughout history. That is what History is all about, this development of today's societies in thlight of those three elements.
Although there are times when I get upset over certain developments, both here and in my home country, I do try to analyze how those developments occured and when and why they have surfaced.
Other than that, I rest my case.

TB

I rest my case as well, TB.