Esteban Cabrera Announces His New Book «The Collapse of the Vote in the Shadow of the Diaspora»

New York: The prominent Dominican writer Esteban Cabrera announced on Wednesday, October 16, that he has begun working on his new book: “THE COLLAPSE OF THE VOTE IN THE SHADOW OF THE DIASPORA,” a journalistic investigation focused on the administrative and electoral corruption of Dominican voting abroad.

“In this new investigation, we explain the current state of the lawsuit filed by Dr. Yomare Polanco’s legal team, which, far from having fallen into legal limbo, still has serious consequences due to the violations that occurred. We also address the impact of administrative corruption on the Dominican state, this time about the voting of Dominicans abroad and the decline of Dominican political organizations, which have almost completely lost their ability to mobilize and connect with the diaspora,” Esteban Cabrera commented about his developing book.

The author asserted that the political crime perpetrated by the ruling party, appropriating a congressional seat and then colluding with the Central Electoral Board (JCE), will not go unpunished. Currently, the three overseas deputies from the first district of the U.S. were elected by only 8% of the total voters, prompting deep reflection and leaving them in a state of near illegitimacy.

Cabrera explained that for years, Dominican parties abroad have faced a profound crisis of credibility and identification with the interests of the diaspora. He mentioned the unfortunate events of the 2020 elections, which included electoral fraud in the election of the third overseas deputy, to the detriment of Dr. Yomare Polanco’s candidacy, and embezzlement of nearly 5 million dollars in electoral funds, for which no one has yet assumed responsibility.

“These scandals related to the Dominican vote abroad in 2020, which made headlines for three years, hurt the diaspora’s perception of their elections and politicians. We can assert, without fear of being wrong, that all these events were the consequence of THE COLLAPSE OF THE VOTE IN THE SHADOW OF THE DIASPORA in the 2024 elections,” he explained.

Esteban Cabrera added that these events sowed uncertainty and increased distrust toward the electoral system and government. Many Dominicans abroad began to question the validity of the democratic processes in their country and were concerned about the transparency of the elections.

Furthermore, the award-winning writer asserts that this created a sense of frustration and discontent that led more Dominicans abroad to distance themselves from Dominican political organizations, increasing distrust.

“In summary, the unfortunate events of the 2020 elections had such a profound impact on the political perception and participation of the Dominican diaspora that they distanced themselves even further from the corroded Dominican political-party system,” Cabrera clarified.

The author pointed out that all these events, aggravated by political and economic interests, distorted the popular will. The breaking of the chain of custody of the declared null votes, as well as the burning and disappearance of ballots to prevent their recount, constituted vandalistic acts perpetrated by officials of the Central Electoral Board (JCE), which triggered the diaspora’s disinterest in Dominican elections.

“The consequences for the Dominican electoral system have been disastrous from various perspectives that we will present in the book ‘THE COLLAPSE OF THE VOTE IN THE SHADOW OF THE DIASPORA.’ For example, in the 2024 elections, historical levels of abstention were recorded:

In the third district, corresponding to the European Union, there was a 75% abstention. In the second district, which includes Orlando, Miami, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Venezuela, Chile, and Curacao, abstention exceeded 86%. Finally, in the first district, the most significant abroad, with 549,553 registered voters, only 42,630 people voted, representing a 92% abstention. This means a massive collapse of the Dominican electoral system in the U.S., which was the epicenter of electoral fraud for the third overseas deputy and the embezzlement of funds.”