Women will play an increasingly important part in politics from now on, especially since the new electoral law obliges parties to assign 25% of candidacies to women. Over the weekend, press reports highlighted how Maribel Gassó, of the PRSC, is the most favored woman candidate for a deputy position in Congress. She received 60.7% of the persons surveyed. Follow up in the preferences of PRSC voters were Emma Valoy, with 11.8%, Kathiuska Bobea with 10%, Cesarina Morel with 9% and Licelott Marte, with 8.5%. Maribel Gassó was a business organization spokeswoman who was catapulted into politics when Jacinto Peynado chose her as his running mate in the 1996 presidential election campaign. Other popular women figures are Elena Viyella de Paliza, who, as president of the Junta Agroempresarial Dominicana, has been prominently featured by the press. Mrs. Paliza was mentioned in 1996 as a possible vice presidential candidate on the Leonel Fernández PLD ticket. Milagros Ortiz Bosch is expected to be the PRD senatorial candidate, although, because of the controversy that still affects the results of the PRD municipal and congressional primaries, her candidacy has not been officially announced.
