Electoral Tribunal’s dirty tricks ruling appealed

Journalist Álvaro Alvarado announced  Saturday, September 7, that he will demand a reconsideration from the Electoral Tribunal (TE) after the National Directorate of Electoral Organization ordered him and the digital media Focus and Clearly to suspend publications of images or videos on social networks of Ricardo Martinelli .

A  statement from   Alvarado said: “I make my publications based on real facts” and not on “electoral propaganda, dirty campaigns, manipulated content and much less false content.”

He assured that the resolution issued by the TE violates freedom of expression. “Corruption thrives in darkness and silence, and can only be exposed and eradicated with a free flow of information and the active participation of civil society,” added the communicator.

The decision of the TE to order the suspension of information about Martinelli, current presidential candidate of Realizing Goals, arises in response to two complaints filed on September 15 by the former president, in which he alleges that he is the object of a “dirty campaign,” which seeks to attack and disqualify him, “with the purpose of affecting him in voting intention surveys.”

The complaints were admitted in resolutions signed by Osman Valdés, national director of the ElectoralOrganization, on September 19. The TE disclosed the content of both on Friday, October 6.

The TE reported that Alvarado and the representatives of Foco and Clearly must go to the offices to present their defenses. However, Valdés ordered several measures from now on: he asked the TE Digital Monitoring and Study Center to verify any account or network that is sharing the content of Alvarado, Foco or Clearly. 

“We believe in freedom of expression as a fundamental pillar of democracy and we will continue to exercise it regardless of the consequences,” said Daniel Lopera, a member of Foco.