The scheduled elections for the Dominican Olympic Committee (COD) on December 9 face significant uncertainty following the irrevocable resignation of the entire three-member electoral commission. The resignations, delivered in a letter to the COD on Friday, come amid escalating questions about the electoral process’s adherence to the organization’s statutes and the management of its schedule, Noticias Sin reported.
The crisis began earlier this week when Radamés Tavárez, president of the Dominican Swimming Federation, publicly denounced that the COD’s Executive Committee had failed to issue the official election call with the required 30 days’ notice for the initially planned December 2 vote, as stipulated by the organization’s own rules. This formal complaint triggered a meeting of the Executive Committee, which subsequently postponed the elections to December 9. However, the departure of all members of the commission responsible for overseeing the process has raised new, fundamental questions about whether the new date can be met or if the process can proceed at all.
According to Noticias Sin, the resigning members are Dr. Dionisio Guzmán, who chaired the commission, along with Rafael Villalona and Jorge Torres. Their decision to step down, which they describe as “irrevocable,” was communicated through a formal letter received at the COD’s offices in Santo Domingo. The letter did not specify individual reasons but cited a range of motivations for their collective departure. Listín Diario, which obtained the full text of the letter, noted that the commissioners referenced seeking “legal advice regarding situations present in the courts of the Republic” and stated that these advisories warned of “matters that in no way we can overlook.”
Timeline of a Developing Crisis
The sequence of events has created a volatile situation for the COD, the body responsible for leading the nation’s Olympic movement. The initial timeline established by the committee’s statutes called for the election convocation to be made 30 days before the planned December 2 elections. This deadline was missed, prompting Tavárez’s complaint. The subsequent resignation of the electoral commission represents a new, more severe escalation, leaving the process without the essential body tasked with conducting it.
The Candidates in the Balance
Despite the institutional turmoil, four candidates remain officially vying for the presidency of the COD. The candidates are the current president, Garibaldi Bautista; the secretary general, Luis Chanlatte; the treasurer, José Mera; and Gilberto García, president of the Dominican Judo Federation, as confirmed by multiple sources. García has garnered support from a group of federation presidents, including William Ozuna (weightlifting), Antonio Acosta (wrestling), and Rubén García (boxing).
However, the vacuum in electoral leadership creates a precarious environment. With the commission that would have been responsible for organizing and supervising the vote no longer in place, it is unclear how nominations, voter registration, polling, and vote counting will be managed.
Who Were the Resigning Commissioners?
Dr. Dionisio Guzmán, the commission’s president, is the current president of the Dominican Sports Hall of Fame. Rafael Villalona is a former member of the COD’s Executive Committee and a former president of the Dominican Golf Federation. Jorge Torres, a journalist, serves as a technical official of Lidom and was the former president of the Santo Domingo Sportswriters Association.
The letter of resignation, as published by Listín Diario, thanked the COD’s General Assembly and Executive Committee for their confidence and emphasized their desire to contribute to “ethics and fair play” in sports governance. The letter concluded by wishing “all possible success to those who truly seek to put sport at the service of the harmonious development of human beings.”
What Happens Next?
The immediate task for the COD’s Executive Committee is to address the crisis and determine the path forward. President Garibaldi Bautista, in a statement to Listín Diario, confirmed that the Executive Committee will formally address the resignations during its next meeting scheduled for Wednesday, December 11. Bautista stated, “The renunciation will be known in the meeting of next Wednesday 11. The Olympic Committee will act based on its statutes.”
The COD now faces critical decisions: it must reconstitute the electoral commission, a process that will require calling a new General Assembly or finding a mechanism within its existing structure to appoint new members. It must also decide whether the December 9 election date is still viable given the compressed timeline and the need to re-establish a full electoral body. The situation is marked by decisions to guarantee the continuity of the process.
The situation maintains the process for electing the next authorities of the Dominican Olympic Committee in a state of deep uncertainty.
Commission Resigns Citing Legal Advice
Q: Why did the electoral commission resign?
A: The commission members did not specify individual reasons in their public resignation letter. However, they cited seeking legal advice on matters related to the process and stated these advisories raised issues they could not overlook, according to Listín Diario.
Q: When was the election supposed to be held originally?
A: The elections were initially scheduled for December 2, but were postponed to December 9 after the Executive Committee failed to meet the 30-day statutory deadline to issue the official call, as reported by the sources.
Q: Who is in charge of the election process now?
A: No one. The entire electoral commission has resigned, leaving the process without the body responsible for organizing and supervising it. The COD Executive Committee is now tasked with resolving the situation.
Q: Will the elections still happen on December 9?
A: The December 9 date is currently the one announced by the Executive Committee, but it is now highly uncertain. The COD must first appoint a new electoral commission, a process that may require additional time, making it difficult to maintain the schedule.
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