Will the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Hector Rafael Peguero Méndez, PRD-Independencia, win over the sufficient deputies to be re-elected as president of the Chamber of Deputies on Sunday? Will the hard-line positions adopted by the PRD board divide the nation’s leading opposition party? So far, the party’s board has expelled dissident Peguero Méndez and several other PRD party members. These contest the expulsion saying it is illegal as the board did not follow party procedures. Meanwhile, Peguero Méndez continues to gain followers that dispute the decisions of the board. The local press reported that the board recently booed a petition from Peggy Cabral, the widow of former PRD leader, who sought to reconcile interests by choosing a third person as candidate to preside the Chamber of Deputies. And in a late development, the Listín Diario reported that the son of the former leader of the party, PRD-deputy elect Jose Francisco Peña Guaba, could ally with Peguero Méndez. Other PRD members that are mentioned as possible voters for Peguero Méndez are Dolores González, Rafael Vasquez and Radhamés Castro, National District; Tony Pérez and Manolo Mesa, San Cristóbal; Emilio Crespo, Valverde; Fátima Pérez, Baoruco; Adriano Terrero, Pedernales; and Pedro de León, San Pedro de Macorís. To win the president of the Chamber of Deputies, 75 of the 149 votes are necessary. Peguero Méndez is also counting on the votes of the PRSC and the PLD that would add up to 66. President Leonel Fernández himself has said that his party’s deputies could vote for Peguero Méndez. The PLD has a total of 49 votes.
