The cancellation of the primaries in New York threatens to divide the Democratic Party | International

What seemed to flow as an idyllic unity relationship within the Democratic Party in the face of the nomination to face President Donald Trump has already its first cracks. Former Democratic nominee Bernie Sanders has let his supporters know via email, written by his adviser Jeff Weaver, that the New York election board’s decision to cancel primaries in that state as deemed “unnecessary” and given the possible risk of expansion of the coronavirus, it is “an atrocity” and represents “a blow to American democracy.” The primaries in New York State were scheduled for June 23 and there are 274 delegates up for grabs, which will now most likely be for Joe Biden.

Sanders abandoned the nomination race this April and the only contender at stake is already the former vice president Joe Biden, who is the alleged nominee to face Donald Trump in the presidential elections on November 3. Even the Vermont senator supported Biden’s candidacy. However, it was important to the Sanders campaign that the New York primaries were held, as a good result would give him a larger number of delegates that he could use to impose part of his program, much more progressive than that of the former vice president. by Barack Obama, at the Democratic Convention that is originally scheduled to be held in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) between August 17 and 20.

In the letter to supporters, Weaver notes that “just last week, Vice President Biden warned the American people that President Trump could try to use the current crisis as an excuse to postpone the November elections.” He then writes: “Okay, now you have [Trump] a precedent thanks to New York State. ”

Sanders has unsuccessfully asked to be kept on the ballots and to hold the elections “for the interest of uniting the party” and because his withdrawal occurred once he had already registered to participate in the New York primaries. Sanders also notes that after supporting Biden (on April 8), he has repeatedly expressed his willingness to remain on the ballots and collect delegates.

The electoral board has admitted that it has received numerous emails and calls from Sanders supporters complaining about the decision and asking that the vote be maintained between the two candidates. On Twitter, many followers of Sanders speculated that the movement had been done to harm someone who defines himself as a democratic socialist, too heeled to the left for a Democratic Party apparatus with preferences for the establishment and the status quo.

Jay Jacobs, chairman of the Democratic Party in New York, has called the decision “an error” that could divide the party. The New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez He made his opinion clear via Twitter, writing that it did not matter “who supported him” but that it was “extremely dangerous” that New York established the precedent of canceling the primaries, citing as cause the covid-19” “The ballots are already in place and no candidate has asked for this to happen [la suspensión de las elecciones]. ”.

New York is the first state to suspend its voting, although others have postponed the appointment or have encouraged voters to vote by mail to avoid the spread of the virus. Earlier this month, the Democratic Party decided to delay more than a month the national convention in which it will formally nominate its presidential candidate for the November elections in the United States, due to the “uncertainty” generated by the coronavirus pandemic.

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