In an interview with Carmen Imbert Brugal from Hoy, Jose Israel Cuello, a renowned political analyst, made some interesting and often cynical observations regarding the strength of President Balaguer’s influence in politics. To summarize, Mr Cuello said that President Balaguer may not be running in the election, but “Balaguerismo” is running.
He said the PRD does not understand that the dimension of an alliance is not measured by the heads of failed politicians that enter other tents and later charge more in political favors than they can deliver in votes. He said that a measure of an alliance is judged when a candidate unites all who are not Balagueristas against Dr Balaguer. He explained that Antonio Guzman achieved that in 1978, and so did Salvador Jorge Blanco in 1982, both then were able to defeat Dr Balaguer and win the presidency.
After them, he said, the two contending candidates were pseudo-Balagueristas for whom Dr Balaguer continues to be the lesser evil and that paved the way for him to stay in power. For the PRD in 1986, Dr Balaguer was the lesser evil when the PRD had won. Meanwhile, Dr Balaguer has buried with very high honors Antonio Guzmán and Jacobo Majluta, the two who achieved enough votes to force him out of power in 1978. To bring his theory of the lesser evil to the present time, José Israel Cuello said that a person close to the PRD told him: “For Leonel to win, let Balaguer stay in.”
“I insist,” said the political analyst, “that Dr Balaguer is not running, neither is he interested in the victory of his party, rather he is promoting the failure of Jacinto Peynado.” He explained that neither Mr Peynado nor the PRSC have taken off, except under what he called “the borrowed tent of the PLD.”
According to José Israel Cuello, “the worst inheritance of Dr Balaguer is the Balaguerismo as a methodology where everyone is contaminated by a lack of scruples, by cajolery, by a lack of respect for law and the Constitution, and by genius based on tricks. Here the success of a politician is measured by his capacity to pretend, to lie. He goes into politics to decorate his name and swell his bank accounts, not to serve.”
In Mr Cuello’s opinion, none of the Dominican politicians have been able to escape from the effects of the “Balaguerismo.” “Balaguerismo,” he says, “is a school, all pretend to imitate it: telling lies, saying what they are not thinking.”
José Cuello says that the electoral situation is not as clear as one would like. The 45 days between a first round and a second electoral round allow for legal maneuvers and illegal maneuvers. He reminded, “Manipulations are always undertaken, and they are done with the approval of the other parties. In ’86, Jacobo Majluta did not become president of the Republic because Salvador Jorge Blanco, Juan Bosch and Peña Gómez did not want him to and naturally, neither did the Cardinal. Salvador Jorge Blanco, who was president, did not want his fellow party member, Jacobo Majluta, to become president. Dr Peña Gómez did not want his partner of a lifetime (also prior to his death) to become president and Juan Bosch, who had brought Majluta into politics by naming him Minister of Finance when he was only 28 , did not want him as president, either.
“In 1994, Dr Peña Gómez won the election and Dr Balaguer stayed in power because the PLD did not provide the needed support,” Mr Cuello explained.
Now Dr Balaguer has it all set up and when the PRD sees the polls and that it is not going to win in the second round, it will be saying “for Leonel to win, then let Balaguer stay in.” Now the Leonelistas are seeking a formula so that Dr Balaguer can stay and if there is a second round, that will become even more evident, in my opinion.”
He said this will happen with observers or without observers because fraud is unnecessary, as only an agreement that the others have to endorse is required. It is also possible to modify the Constitution and provide the two missing years for Dr Balaguer. Both Drs Balaguer and Peña Gómez have the capacity to modify the Constitution and if the previous modification was valid, a new one will be also. They passed over the vote of the people, and I believe that vote is above the Constitution.”
“They are fighting over the national budget. It also comes down to fighting over the booty of that, let there be no doubt,” he said.