D
Dolores
Guest
On its website, the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations publishes a press release whereby it directs readers to the letter by US Senator Bob Menendez with opinions on the reelection of President Danilo Medina. The introduction observes that Menendez is asking Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “to use diplomatic tools to support democratic governance in the Dominican Republic as President Danilo Medina seeks to modify his country’s constitution in order to run for an unprecedented third term. “
Actually, this is not an “unprecedented third term”. On two previous occasions, the late former President Joaquín Balaguer ran for three consecutive terms. Leonel Fernández has run for three terms.
Recent Presidents of the Dominican Republic have been:
Joaquín Balaguer ((1966-1970, 1970-1974, 1974-1978)
Antonio Guzmán (1978-1982)
Salvador Jorge Blanco (1982-1986)
Joaquín Balaguer (1986-1990, 1990-1994, 1994-1996)
Leonel Fernández (1996-2000)
Hipólito Mejía (2000-2004)
Leonel Fernández (2004-2008, 2008-2012)
Danilo Medina (2012-2016, 2016-2020)
Of the country’s Presidents in the past five decades, only two did not use their influence to promote reelection. These were the late President Antonio Guzman and President Salvador Jorge Blanco. The three recent Presidents that have used their political influence to amend the Constitution and open doors for them to return to power are: President Hipólito Mejía in 2002, President Leonel Fernández in 2010 and President Danilo Medina in 2015. President Hipólito Mejía was not successful in his bid for reelection.
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The actual letter from US Senator Bob Menendez reads:
“Dear Secretary Pompeo:
I write to express my deep concern about current efforts to reform the Constitution of the Dominican Republic to circumvent established presidential term limits and allow incumbent President Danilo Medina to run for an unprecedented second re-election.
As you know, the Dominican Republic and several other countries in Latin America have had a challenging but steady transition to civilian democracy after decades of enduring authoritarianism and government overreach.
In this context, a recent Gallup poll conducted in April of this year showed that more than 68 percent of the Dominican population opposes a constitutional reform that would allow President Medina to run for a third term. It is imperative that President Medina respect the wishes of his people by accepting their desire to maintain a two-term presidential limit as guaranteed by the country’s constitution, and upholding the democratic norms and institutions the Dominican people have fought so hard to establish.
Earlier this year, the United States Senate approved by unanimous consent a resolution (S.Res.35) reaffirming its commitment to democratic principles in Bolivia and across Latin America and the Caribbean, and supporting the presidential term limits prevalent in the hemisphere as reasonable checks against a history of coups, corruption, and abuses of power.
In upholding the spirit of this resolution, I ask that you utilize all diplomatic tools at your disposal to underscore the importance of democratic governance in the Dominican Republic. Amid increased threats to democracy throughout the world, the United States must demonstrate its commitment to defending democratic norms, and cannot ignore when an elected leader attempts to extend their grasp on power by modifying their country’s constitution for their advantage.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response.”
https://www.foreign.senate.gov/pres...inican-president-to-seek-third-term-in-office
Actually, this is not an “unprecedented third term”. On two previous occasions, the late former President Joaquín Balaguer ran for three consecutive terms. Leonel Fernández has run for three terms.
Recent Presidents of the Dominican Republic have been:
Joaquín Balaguer ((1966-1970, 1970-1974, 1974-1978)
Antonio Guzmán (1978-1982)
Salvador Jorge Blanco (1982-1986)
Joaquín Balaguer (1986-1990, 1990-1994, 1994-1996)
Leonel Fernández (1996-2000)
Hipólito Mejía (2000-2004)
Leonel Fernández (2004-2008, 2008-2012)
Danilo Medina (2012-2016, 2016-2020)
Of the country’s Presidents in the past five decades, only two did not use their influence to promote reelection. These were the late President Antonio Guzman and President Salvador Jorge Blanco. The three recent Presidents that have used their political influence to amend the Constitution and open doors for them to return to power are: President Hipólito Mejía in 2002, President Leonel Fernández in 2010 and President Danilo Medina in 2015. President Hipólito Mejía was not successful in his bid for reelection.
--
The actual letter from US Senator Bob Menendez reads:
“Dear Secretary Pompeo:
I write to express my deep concern about current efforts to reform the Constitution of the Dominican Republic to circumvent established presidential term limits and allow incumbent President Danilo Medina to run for an unprecedented second re-election.
As you know, the Dominican Republic and several other countries in Latin America have had a challenging but steady transition to civilian democracy after decades of enduring authoritarianism and government overreach.
In this context, a recent Gallup poll conducted in April of this year showed that more than 68 percent of the Dominican population opposes a constitutional reform that would allow President Medina to run for a third term. It is imperative that President Medina respect the wishes of his people by accepting their desire to maintain a two-term presidential limit as guaranteed by the country’s constitution, and upholding the democratic norms and institutions the Dominican people have fought so hard to establish.
Earlier this year, the United States Senate approved by unanimous consent a resolution (S.Res.35) reaffirming its commitment to democratic principles in Bolivia and across Latin America and the Caribbean, and supporting the presidential term limits prevalent in the hemisphere as reasonable checks against a history of coups, corruption, and abuses of power.
In upholding the spirit of this resolution, I ask that you utilize all diplomatic tools at your disposal to underscore the importance of democratic governance in the Dominican Republic. Amid increased threats to democracy throughout the world, the United States must demonstrate its commitment to defending democratic norms, and cannot ignore when an elected leader attempts to extend their grasp on power by modifying their country’s constitution for their advantage.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response.”
https://www.foreign.senate.gov/pres...inican-president-to-seek-third-term-in-office