The news daily Listin Diario continues to trickle out the results of the wide-ranging poll it recently conducted with Sigma Dos of Dominicans claiming no affiliation to any political party. This group of Dominican voters are known to often determine the outcome of presidential elections in the DR.In the latest results released, 42% of the independents polled believe that the Fern?ndez Government will improve the political situation in 1999, while 22% believe the political situation will remain about the same and 28% feel it will worsen. Asked about the economic outlook for 1999, 46% of the independents said they felt it would improve, 20% said it would remain the same, and 26% said it would worsen.In the broader poll of Dominicans of all political stripes, 72.9% gave priority to "competence" when asked what the Government needed in order to solve the nation’s problems, 59.1% to "clear ideas and well-defined programs" and 55.8% to the backing of the business sector. Interestingly enough, 66.7% said that the support of opposition parties was not necessary, and 62.7% said that the trust of a majority of citizens was not needed either.Asked what the Government’s priorities should be to improve the DR’s socioeconomic situation, 53% called for repairing and improving streets and highways, 46.4% for fighting crime, 37.5% supplying electricity, 34.8% collecting trash and cleaning streets, 32.5% supplying potable water, 27% improving education, 16.7% improving public health, 13.5% building sewers, 12.9% traffic management, and 8.3% modernizing transport.Asked about their major socioeconomic concerns, 64.5% replied the high cost of basic goods, 49.4% said unemployment, 43.7% said crime, 28.9% the electricity problem, 19.4% official corruption and 17.7% provision of potable water.
