Milagros Ortíz Bosch, senator re-elect for Santo Domingo, could be the Dominican Republic’s next President. She announced her decision to seek the presidential candidacy of the Partido Revolucionario Dominicano (PRD) for the year 2000 at a press conference called at the Hotel Jaragua. She feels her candidacy represents the majority expression of the party and would contribute to the unity of the PRD. Her running for President would also fulfill a commitment of hers with the late leader of the party, José Francisco Peña Gómez. She praised the speech of President Leonel Fernández, saying that in it he admitted errors of his government and announced measures to correct these incorporating suggestions made by opposition parties. Ortíz Bosch justified the early announcement of her candidacy presenting surveys carried out by Hamilton & Staff, Fundación para el Desarrollo Comunal y el Medio Ambiente, Aflonso, Cabrera y Asociados, Effective Projects in Communications, that consistently show her gaining as a candidate over the two other leading contenders for the PRD presidential candidacy, Hipólito Mejía and Rafael Suberví Bonilla. Political analysts consider Ortíz Bosch the candidate to beat in the year 2000 elections. Surveys give her the highest percentage points of all politicians that are likely to seek the presidency in year 2000.
