The Central Electoral Board of the Dominican Republic has provisionally suspended a controversial regulation prohibiting the publication of political polls outside official election campaign periods.
Dany Alcántara, the president of Dominican communications group ACD Media, welcomed the ruling as a victory for press freedom and democratic institutionality. The decision temporarily halts a regulatory measure that media outlets had contested since May as an overreach of authority.
The board formally certified the measure on Friday, August 28, following a majority vote during an official session conducted on August 20. The resolution suspends Article 13 of the national polling regulations while legal challenges against the rules remain pending in court.
Electoral board decision and voting breakdown
The decision passed with the support of Central Electoral Board president Román Jáquez Liranzo, alongside board members Dolores Fernández Sánchez and Samir Chami Isa. Board members Hirayda Fernández Guzmán and Rafael Vallejo Santelises voted against the suspension.
Electoral officials clarified that the provisional suspension does not declare Article 13 illegal or unconstitutional. Instead, the restriction will remain inactive while relevant judicial bodies resolve ongoing legal proceedings filed against the regulatory framework.
All other provisions established under the polling regulation remain in full force. Polling organizations must continue to comply with official registry requirements, approved statistical methodologies, and standard rules governing the disclosure of public opinion studies.
The Central Electoral Board, known locally as the Junta Central Electoral or JCE, is the independent constitutional body responsible for organizing elections and managing the civil registry in the Dominican Republic. Headquartered in the capital of Santo Domingo, the autonomous institution oversees electoral administration across the Caribbean nation.
Origin of the polling ban controversy
The suspended article prohibited the publication or dissemination of electoral polls prior to the formal opening of the pre-campaign period, which is scheduled for July 2027 ahead of the 2028 general elections. The restriction applied both to public surveys and to internal polls conducted for political organizations.
The controversy emerged due to a conflict between the regulation and Law 20-23, the Organic Law of the Electoral System. The legislation enacted by the National Congress of the Dominican Republic sets the blackout period for publishing election polls strictly at eight days prior to election day.
ACD Media formally requested a reconsideration of the regulatory rule on May 28. The company later submitted a request to suspend or cancel its registration as an authorized polling firm, stating that it could not comply with restrictions that exceeded the boundaries established by parliamentary legislation.
Law 20-23 serves as the primary legislative framework governing electoral processes, voter registration, and campaign operations in the Dominican Republic. Under Dominican law, administrative bodies like the electoral board cannot enforce rules that contradict congressional statutes.
Sanctioning proceedings and legal impact
The regulatory dispute escalated in early August when the Central Electoral Board initiated an administrative sanctioning procedure against ACD Media. Electoral authorities alleged potential violations related to two political surveys published by the company on June 1 and July 13.
The provisional suspension of Article 13 directly halts all sanctioning consequences tied to the restriction. Administrative enforcement procedures opened against media companies specifically under that rule have also been frozen.
ACD Media is a major Dominican communications enterprise based in Santo Domingo. The media company operates television networks, radio stations, digital news outlets, and public opinion research services across the Dominican Republic.
Future outlook for electoral reporting
Reacting to the board decision, Alcántara expressed confidence that similar regulatory disputes would be avoided in future election cycles. He urged electoral authorities, political parties, and civic institutions to refrain from enacting measures that compromise legal and constitutional protections.
Alcántara questioned why restrictions had been placed on publicizing voter sentiment, asking who stood to benefit from preventing citizens from understanding national political realities and key social concerns.
He added that state institutions and political leaders bear a collective responsibility to safeguard freedom of expression and uphold democratic standards. The ruling allows media organizations to resume publishing political surveys ahead of the 2028 election cycle.
