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Daily News - 23 March 2000
A data-checking weekend for Dominican voters
President Leonel Fernández declared of "national interest" the pre-identification and verification process to take place this Saturday, 25 and Sunday, 26 March nationwide. The Junta Central Electoral, the body in charge of organizing the presidential election of 16 May 2000, is urging that all voters visit their pre-assigned voting station to verify their voting card data. The JCE has issued new voting cards and wants to make sure these and their lists are correct.
Citizens that registered by 31 January 2000, but have not been able to obtain their final identification and voting card, or cedula, are especially being encouraged to visit the voting tables. The government urged all employers offer time leave to personnel, and announced free OMSA public bus service throughout the weekend during the hours the stations will be open.
Presidential candidates list
The Junta Central Electoral reported today that it has confirmed the presidential and vice presidential candidacies of the following political parties:
Partido Revolucionario Dominicano: Hipólito Mejía and Milagros Ortíz Bosch.
Partido de la Liberación Dominicana (the ruling party): Danilo Medina and Amilcar Romero. The Medina-Romero ticket has the support of the minority party, Bloque Institucional Socialdemócrata. Partido Reformista Social Cristiano: Joaquín Balaguer and Jacinto Peynado. The Balaguer-Peynado candidacy has the support of minority party, Partido Liberal de la RD-La Estructura.
Partido de los Trabajadores Dominicano: José González Espinosa and Esteban Díaz.
Movimiento Independencia, Unidad y Cambio (MIUCA): Manuel Salazar and Virtudes Alvarez.
Movimiento de Unidad e Integración Nacional (UNIDO): César Estrella Sahdalá and César Nicolás Penson. The JCE turned down the candidates presented by the Partido Popular Cristiano (Hector Peguero Méndez and Franklin Domínguez) on grounds that that party did not hold a national convention to choose its representatives in the election.
Poll shows Balaguer passes Medina
El Siglo newspaper's Penn, Schoen & Berland survey showed that if the elections were held today, Hipólito Mejía of the PRD would receive 44% of the vote, Joaquin Balaguer of the PRSC 24% and Danilo Medina of the PLD, 23%.
In January, this same poll showed results of 50% PRD, 20% Balaguer and 27% PLD. And when the same question was asked in October 1999, voters answered 52% PRD, 22% PRSC and 23% PLD. PLD.
To win the 16 May 2000 presidential election, a candidate needs 50%+1 of the vote.
This is the first time one of the leading polls shows the 94-year old candidate leading the PLD candidate. Only a week ago, Balaguer chose middle-aged Jacinto Peynado to be his running mate. This added new vitality to the party, as Balaguer is barely capable of speaking in public more than three minutes at a time. Jacinto Peynado was the PRSC presidential candidate in the 1996 election. At that time 435,504 Dominicans voted for him, despite lukewarm support from party leader, President Balaguer.
The PLD is in power today with the support of Balaguer. Balaguer's case is a legendary in American political history of the Americas. Never before had a man so old held the fascination of Dominicans for so long.
News reports say that security was doubled at the Balaguer residence. Balaguer is considered to hold the key to who wins he next election, but after accepting the candidacy in January and choosing Jacinto Peynado as his vice presidential candidate he incredibly is now a serious contender for the important second place position. If none of the voters wins 50%+1 of the vote, a second round will be held 30 June 2000. In that round whoever wins the most votes wins the presidency.
Balaguer reads new Mario Vargas Llosa novel
"Orlando dice," a popular El Siglo newspaper column comments that former President Joaquín Balaguer engorged Mario Vargas Llosa's most recent novel, "La Fiesta del Chivo." Balaguer didn't wait for the Dominican version to be available this week, but ordered his copy from Spain. The column says that Balaguer's aides had to read it to him in two days straight. The novel tells about the domination of the Dominican collective psyche by dictator Trujillo. But Vargas Llosa admitted that some readers have pointed out to him that the novel is more about Balaguer than Trujillo.
Sahdalá: lying to voters is fraud
Presidential candidate for the minority party, Movimiento de Unidad e Integración Dominicana (UNIDO), Cesar Estrella Sahdalá said that political candidates are committing fraud when they promise what they know they cannot deliver. "Today many organizations meet with the traditional parties and explain their needs and the politicians include these in their government plan as a way of pleasing and garnering more votes," he told Hoy newspaper. "But when they are elected, they cannot fulfill the promises."
He said "there is no Messiah that can resolve all the country's problems." "It is not true, the problems are part of us, and the struggle is on to try to improve to the best possible, the living conditions of human beings regarding education, health it's a permanent struggle."
Sahdalá proposes to focus primarily on grade school education. He says if not the universities will continue to turn out bad and mediocre professionals. He said that what the country needs is technicians. "We have nothing to gain by graduating more liberal professionals when we can't find the needed technicians," he said.
He said that Dominicans are underestimated. "It is a tranquil people that you can push, push again, and the least expected day just pinch and you won't believe the results," he said. Estrella Sahdalá, a former minister of work during a Balaguer administration, was chosen by consensus by the leading political parties to preside the JCE after years of contested elections. The 1996 presidential election was regarded as exemplary. Most of the credit for those elections was attributed to Estrella Sahdalá's leadership and his will to undo corruption within the organization and the voting system.
He said that the most important objective of his government would be to strengthen national institutions and consolidate rule of law, where the principal observers of the law would be the government and public workers. He believes in decentralization of government.
Medina wants help to issue ID documents to Haitians in Haiti
Danilo Medina, presidential candidate for the Partido de la Liberación Dominicana, urged that developed nations contribute to develop systems in Haiti so that that nation can issue identification documents to all its citizens. The fact that most Haitians, primarily because they are too poor and distrust their government, never bother to get their identification documents creates major problems for the Dominican Republic. When these people cross over without a single identification document they create confusion at the time when they want to declare a child, or register a child in school. Since the parents have no legal names, what is the last name of the child, for instance? Medina told El Caribe newspaper that Haitians' lack of identity documents is one of the major obstacles in the ongoing migratory talks.
DA stops sending prisoners to Victoria jail
The District Attorney announced that no new prisoners will be sent to La Victoria, a jail that is overpopulated with 3,358 inmates. The new prisoners will be sent to the Najayo jail, the country's second largest jail that is also overpopulated with 2,459 inmates.
DA Francisco Domínguez said that the judiciary is accelerating the procedures to revise cases and decongestion the jails. The operation was started in December, when pending cases were reduced 10%. A new push to accelerate the study of cases will start 3 April 2000, according to the Supreme Court of Justice.
The decision to freeze the number of inmates at La Victoria comes after a fire killed 12 prisoners, and 40 others were seriously burned.
River garbage is enemy of maritime tourism
Minister of Tourism Felix Jiménez confirmed that cruise ship traffic to Santo Domingo has declined due to the garbage and contamination of the Ozama River. Slum areas and industries border the river. When the levels of the river increase, the river sucks in the garbage, which flows downstream to the port areas. Both the Port of Sans Souci on the East Bank and the Port of Santo Domingo on the West Bank are affected. The government is gradually implementing a plan to relocate the families that live on the river area. The plan is estimated to cost over RD$5,000 million.
The garbage problem is unfortunate. The Port of Santo Domingo docks at one of the otherwise most attractive areas in the Caribbean. Cruise ship travelers enter the city through the 15th century gates of the Colonial City and can walk through the Colonial City for browsing or shopping in Colonial City Shops or along the Calle el Conde pedestrian mall.
Convention center opens at Santiago hotel
Hodelpa Gran Almirante, Hotel & Casino, the principal hotel in Santiago, the second largest city, announces the opening of its new convention center as of 1 April. The new convention center has four halls which together add up to meeting space for 800 persons theater-style. For more information, contact 809 580-1992.
Travel agent event opens in Punta Cana
The Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange (DATE 2000) starts today in Punta Cana at the new convention center of the Hotel Meliá Caribe. The 23-25 March 2000 event brings together leaders of the Dominican hospitality industry and qualified international travel buyers from around the world. A large number of Dominican hotel operators are exhibiting and providing information on Dominican travel opportunities.
The National Association of Hotels & Restaurants and the Dominican Republic Tourism Promotion Council (CPT) are the organizers of the tourism marketing event.
The event has the organizational support of the Caribbean Hotel Association that is implementing a marketplace-type schedule. Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) US chapter travel agents are scheduled to meet with Dominican hotel marketers during the final three hours of the event.
Each exhibitor will be able to make product presentations that will complement the program of structured appointments.
Chamber Music concerts start tonight
The annual Chamber Music concerts season starts tonight at 8:30 pm at the Salón de Actos of the Patronato de la Ciudad Colonial, Calle Isabel la Católica (in front of Columbus Park). The concerts were usually held at the Capilla de los Remedios but this year, the 12 concerts, scheduled for the last Thursday of each month, will take place at the headquarters of the Colonial City board.
Performing this evening is the Camara Ars Nova Orchestra, conducted by Francois Bahuaud; soprano Ivonne Haza; and National Symphony Orchestra clarinet player, Jorge de Jesús Torres.
Sergio Vargas tours to tell the story of merengue
Sergio Vargas, "Había una vez un merengue," the story of merengue music on tour, sponsored by Baninter.
22 March. Parque Piedras Vivas. San Cristobal.
24 March. Parque Estadio Julián Javier. San Francisco de Macorís.
25 March. Parque Duarte. La Vega.
26 March. Parque Municipal Altagracia. Villa Altagracia.
Beauty pageant, Patricia Pereira and Fausto Rey
Shows to look forward to this weekend are:
The selection of the Dominican candidates to the Miss Universe and Miss World pageants. Friday, 24 March at 8:30 pm at the Teatro La Fiesta of the Hotel Jaragua. Participation of 21 candidates from throughout the DR.
Patricia Pereira in concert ("Plenilunio") this Friday, 24 March and Saturday, 25 at Casa de Teatro, 9 pm. Accompanying her, Tisana Azul.
Fausto Rey in concert, a replay of his successful comeback show on Saturday, 25 March. Teatro La Fiesta, Hotel Jaragua, 9 pm. Tel. 221-1435, 412-4610
Cattle, farm and industrial fair opens at Feria Ganadera
The nation's leading exhibition of cattle ranching, farming and industrial production is scheduled to open this Saturday, 25 March lasting through 2 April at the Feria Ganadera on the Malecón. The Feria Nacional Agropecuaria, Industrial, Educativa y Ecológica 2000 is a sale-exhibition of local produce. A new attraction this year is a flower producers competition.
Paul Taylor Dance Company in Santo Domingo
The Paul Taylor Dance Company (www.ptdc.org) will perform in Santo Domingo 24 and 25 March at the National Theater. The group will perform in a benefit for the Fundacion Mir in La Romana. Fundación Ritmos por la Danza brings this company to Santo Domingo. The company has toured 650 cities in 60 countries and was appointed cultural ambassador of the United States in the program Millennium Council of the White House.
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