Former President Joaquín Balaguer, while no longer in office, maintained his tradition of more than three decades of distributing a bag with foodstuffs that would enable thousands of impoverished Dominicans to prepare a Christmas dinner. Long lines of persons cued up in front of the residence of the former statesman along Av. Máximo Gómez from the early hours of 24 December. New this year, together with the bag, was a 1998 calendar with a prominent color photograph of the Dr. Balaguer. While the more than 91 year old politician has said he would not run for President in year 2000, he continues to be one of the most influential of all Dominican politicians, if not the most influential.
