Home  Message Archive  2007  2006  2005  2004  2003  2002  2001  2000  1999  1998  Premium News Service

Daily News - 2 May 2000
SD concentrates third of electoral vote
Santo Domingo and Santiago, the two leading cities in the DR, concentrate 40% of the electoral vote. Some 4.3 million Dominicans are registered to vote in the DR, roughly half the population. According to statistics published by Quiterio Cedeño for El Siglo newspaper, voters in the Dominican Republic the 17 most important voter population concentrations are:
Distrito Nacional (Santo Domingo) 1,399,112 voters, 32.12%
Santiago 361,247 voters, 8.29%
La Vega 131,002 voters, 3.01%
San Francisco de Macoris 112,644 voters, 2.59%
San Cristobal 110,045 voters, 2.53%
San Pedro de Macoris 99,164 voters, 2.28%
Moca 98,464 voters, 2.26%
La Romana 95,861 voters, 2.20%
Puerto Plata 77,837 voters, 1.79%
Azua 75,577 voters, 1.74%
Baní 75,355 voters, 1.73%
Monseñor Nouel 69,979 voters, 1.61%
San Juan de la Maguana 69,636 voters, 1.60%
Higuey 68,758 voters, 1.58%
Cotui 58,590 voters, 1.35%
Barahona 49,996 voters, 1.15
Bajos de Haina 46,646 voters, 1.07%
JCE on the much-talked about PLD spot
The Junta Central Electoral recommended that politicians discontinue the practice of airing or publishing advertisements or propaganda that presents the image or voice of presidential candidates in a negative way. The JCE recommends that political parties avoid the use of slanderous language that may attempt against the honor of any candidate. It also urged politicians to avoid using language that may incite followers to violence.
The electoral court judges responded this way to a PRD request that the JCE order the PLD to suspend a spot that is a collection of actual appearances of PRD candidate, Hipólito Mejía. PLD strategist Temístocles Montás said that the spots were intended to show the outspoken PRD candidate as he is: "arrogant, aggressive, lacking moderation, his lack of grasp of national problems, his lack of vision."
The PRD has been publishing a series of cartoons in the press, lampooning the present Fernández administration and its candidate, Danilo Medina for offering something to everyone. The PLD campaign spots are a last resort of the PLD to take votes away from Mejía who leads in all the major polls and is definitely the man to beat.
Gallup poll shows Mejía will win in second round
The most recent Rumbo-Gallup poll is good news for PRD and Hipólito Mejía followers. The PRD presidential candidate continues strong at 45% of the preference of Dominican voters, followed by Danilo Medina (PLD) and Joaquín Balaguer (PRSC) who are tied in the preferences of 25% of Dominicans expected to vote in the 16 May election. The April poll shows that Mejía gained one point, while Joaquín Balaguer dropped one point since the previous poll in March. Medina's voter preferences remained the same.
None of the presidential candidates has the 50%+1 vote needed to win in the first round, as per this poll. This would require the holding of a second round on 30 June 2000.
Gallup says that in the case that Danilo Medina of the ruling PLD party were the PRD contender in a second round, Hipólito Mejía would win the election with 51% of the vote. Danilo Medina would receive 42% of the vote, if he mustered the support of the PRSC as the PLD did in the 1996 election in which Leonel Fernandez won.
In the case that Joaquín Balaguer (PRSC) were to be his contender, Hipólito Mejía would win with 48% of the vote. The poll speculates that PLD voters would return the PRSC favor of the 1996 election, and their vote would bring Balaguer's total to 45% of the vote.
The Gallup poll continues to show that Danilo Medina has not been very convincing as a PLD candidate. When asked which of all politicians is best suited to govern the country, polled voters responded: Hipólito Mejía, 34%; Joaquín Balaguer, 27%; Danilo Medina, 15%; Leonel Fernández, 10% and Jaime Fernandez Mirabal, 3%. The Constitution bans President Leonel Fernández from running for re-election.
The voters were polled from 11-16 April nationwide. Of these, 90% said they would vote for sure.
Voting cards to be distributed through 14 May
The Junta Central Electoral again postponed the deadline for citizens to get their cedula to the 14th of May. Some 130,000 persons still have not retrieved their card.
Two die in confusing campaign confrontation
Two persons were shot on Saturday. The bullets were supposedly fired by security guards of PRD presidential candidate Hipólito Mejía. Mejía was critical of the shootout and called out for tolerance among political activists.
The Police is investigating what happened.
The dead are 44-year old Luis Terrero and 32-year old Rafael Peñalo.
Campaign passions have resulted in six deaths so far. The first death was that of Luis Lucas of the PRSC who was shot by Cándido Ravelo of the PRD after they were enthralled in a discussion and the victim slapped Ravelo on the face on 4 May 1999. Cirilo Castillo in Santiago and Pedro Livio Mota in Higuey died in confrontations with Reformista activists on 15 and 28 November 1999, respectively. And Juan Carlos Bautista was shot upon dismounting from a bus following a PLD activity on 24 January. Another seven persons have died in traffic accidents related to political campaining.
Three Dominicans sought by US justice detained abroad
El Siglo reports that Interpol arrested Pedro Rafael Gonzalez Pantaleon in Amsterdam for deporting to the US to face a sentence for Medicare fraud. The newspaper says that González had been sent abroad on an unexplained government mission to Kuwait to where he was supposedly headed when he was arrested in Amsterdam. González was a former New York City consul and ambassador to the United Nations in a Balaguer administration.
Likewise, the newspaper said that Juan Moya de la Cruz was extradited from France to the US after being detained by the Interpol. He faces drug trafficking charges. Ditto for Cesar Nicolas Nuñez who was arrested and deported to the US from Panama.
Blow to gun and drug trafficking operation
The Dominican government awaits the extradition from Aruba of Johan Hendry August Wilkemans, a Haitian porting a Belgian passport. News reports say that the local Drug Control Department was on the trail of Wilkemans after Haitian Jean Marck, alias Mario Antonio Duran, was arrested following a car chase in Santo Domingo. Jean Marck had on him 31 kilos of cocaine. His capture lead to the discovery, in cooperation with Haitian and US drug control authorities of a clandestine warehouse where weapons, sophisticated satellite communications equipment, and purchase orders for 200 M16 rifles and 200 guns were located in Port au Prince, Haiti. Wilkemans was described as a key figure in a powerful arms and drugs dealing operation.
The DR and Haiti are part of the Colombia-Haiti-DR-Puerto Rico-US drug route. Drugs are flown into Haiti and then transported by ground to the DR. From the DR they are taken by boat to Puerto Rico for sale in the US market. Customs controls for those traveling to the US are minimal between Puerto Rico and the US.
Priest denounces army men are recruiting Haitians
Father Pierre Riquoit denounced that Dominican army men are involved in the recruiting of Haitian workers for Dominican farms. The farms that are in need of labor pay the army men. The Haitians pay the army members up to RD$800 for a chance to earn a living at a Dominican farm. But Father Pierre Riquoit says that many have the wrong vision of where they are going to be taken to and end up being sent to sugar plantations. Sugar cane cutting is considered the hardest of all farm jobs. The news report by Leo Reyes for El Siglo newspaper says that the army men only provide the Haitians with a National Malaria Eradication Service card, which becomes the Haitians only identification. Poor Haitians rarely have any official identification. Father Riquoit says a pacific invasion of Haitians is happening and estimated the flow at about 30,000 in the "past months."
Capellán concerned that new bill could affect textile parity
Fernando Capellan, president of the Dominican Association of Free Zones, advocated the President veto the law of Intellectual Property Industrial that was passed by Congress. The bill has divided business sectors. Fernando Capellan said that the President should have foremost the national interest above particular interests of certain business groups. He says that the law does not comply with World Trade Organization positions. The law has been objected by the American and European chambers of commerce and by local pharmaceutical importers groups, mainly ARAPF, especially regarding matters dealing with compulsory licensing. Capellán favored the passing of a bill that truly protects industrial property, stimulates foreign investment and may be a model for other nations. The US recently included the DR in a list of countries that are under observation for violation of the World Trade Organization agreements on intellectual property. Federico Cuello, Dominican ambassador to the World Trade Organization, says that only the Dispute-Settlement Body (DSB) of the WTO has jurisdiction under international law to decide whether the law, if eventually passed by the President, is WTO-compliant. In his opinion, the passing of the bill is literally a matter of "life and death."
Book Fair is big success
After four years, the Santo Domingo book fair has become an obligatory visit for all families, at least in Santo Domingo. The objective of President Leonel Fernández of using the fair to promote the importance of reading seems to have clicked. Book vendors say that sales are at record highs this year. Everyone gets to buy a book.
For adults, the big seller this year is the controversial "Fiesta del Chivo," by Mario Vargas Llosa. But news reports say that other Trujillo Era books are also big sellers.
North leads the National Sports Games events
The North Coast region leads the National Sports Games are the weekend of sports competitions taking place in La Romana. Some 3,501 athletes are competing in the six-day long national sports games. The North leads with 60 medals, followed by Santo Domingo with 48, the East 26, the South 32, host city La Romana with 8 and New York (Dominicans residing in New York) with 2.
Two Dominican weight lifters qualify for Sydney Olympics
Wanda Rijo and Playter Reyes qualified to participate in the Sydney, Australia Olympic Games. They recently participated in the Panamerican Championship and weightlifting trials of the US. Wanda Rijo qualified in the 75-kilogram category, and Reyes in the 200-kilogram category. The trials were held 14-18 April in Shreveport, Louisiana. During the event, Wanda Rijo won two gold medals and a silver, Wendy Santana won two gods, Sención Quezada, two gold and a silver and Guillermina Candelario two gold and a silver, Carlos Holguin, one silver and two bronze. Playter Reyes won three bronze. The DR may possibly take another weight lifter, Pan Am Games silver medallist Miosotis Heredia. Heredia was absent from the Louisiana trials because she had recently been operated.
Travel trade fair slated for 3 May
Luís Felipe Aquino, organizer of the Bolsa Turistica del Caribe, announced the travel trade show will take place at the Dominican Fiesta Hotel convention hall 3-6 May. The show in its fourth year is expected to attract 2,000 travel agents, hotels and allied businesses. This year there will be presentations on investing in tourism and ecotourism. Tour operators and travel agents from Europe, the US, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America will be coming.
Shakira comes to town
Colombia's Shakira will be in town for a 6 May performance at the Fortaleza Ozama in the Colonial City. Shakira is coming with 21 musicians. Her show's title, "Anfibio". Shakira has just released a new CD, "Shakira MTV Unplugged". Tickets $300. Tickets are for sale at Club de Lectores Listín (for Listín Diario subscribers), Pizza Hut, Baskin Robbins, Mr. Movies. Also through Ticket Express and at Musicalia and Bachata Rosa.
Home  Message Archive  2007  2006  2005  2004  2003  2002  2001  2000  1999  1998  Premium News Service

The contents of this webpage are copyright © 1996-2008.  DR1. All Rights Reserved.