DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

The recent meeting of the PLD Central Committee was ostensibly about the registration of eight presidential hopefuls, most notably the return of Gonzalo Castillo, who has been largely invisible since 2020. However, the real story lies in the structural shifts that further consolidate power within the party’s elite, political analyst Yanessi Espinal writes.

The official list of the eight approved pre-candidates includes Francisco Javier García, Francisco Domínguez Brito, and Charles Mariotti, who had previously expressed their interest. They are joined by Gonzalo Castillo, Ramón Ventura Camejo, Luis de León, Manfred Mata, and Mario Bruno Gonzales.

PLD Party vice president Ariel Jimenez and 2024 presidential candidate Abel Martinez, both who had expressed their interest in being considered for the candidacy, were not included in the recent list. Gonzalo Castillo was not...