The Partido Revolucionario Independiente (PRI), in disarray since the death of its founder Jacobo Majluta, held a tumultuous assembly on Sunday, 20 October. A clear division between two factions has surfaced since the death of its leader last February, and was evident in and around the PRI’s headquarters in the Gazcue sector of Santo Domingo.
Just outside the building, Jacobo’s brothers Freddy and Hector Guzman, criticized the assembly and told reporters that their refusal to participate was “in order to avoid violent acts” that could have taken place inside.
The faction headed by Rafael Molina Ureña ran the assembly, which chose members of its Disciplinary Commission and Political Committee, including Mr. Majluta’s widow, Ana Elisa Villanueva. The decisions agreed upon will be in effect until 26 January, when the PRI will hold a national convention.
After the crushing electoral defeat in 1994 and the death of Mr. Majluta in 1996, many predicted the demise of the political party. The PRI joined the Acuerdo de Santo Domingo coalition headed by Dr. Jose Francisco Peña Gomez’s Partido Revolucionario Dominicano (PRD) for the 1996 presidential election, eventually losing to the current president, Dr Leonel Fernandez.
The PRI was founded in 1990 after Mr. Majluta, then a member of the PRD, left to form his own party after a dispute with Dr. Peña Gomez.