The most recent Rumbo-Gallup poll is good news for PRD and Hipólito Mejía followers. The PRD presidential candidate continues strong at 45% of the preference of Dominican voters, followed by Danilo Medina (PLD) and Joaquín Balaguer (PRSC) who are tied in the preferences of 25% of Dominicans expected to vote in the 16 May election. The April poll shows that Mejía gained one point, while Joaquín Balaguer dropped one point since the previous poll in March. Medina’s voter preferences remained the same. None of the presidential candidates has the 50%+1 vote needed to win in the first round, as per this poll. This would require the holding of a second round on 30 June 2000. Gallup says that in the case that Danilo Medina of the ruling PLD party were the PRD contender in a second round, Hipólito Mejía would win the election with 51% of the vote. Danilo Medina would receive 42% of the vote, if he mustered the support of the PRSC as the PLD did in the 1996 election in which Leonel Fernandez won. In the case that Joaquín Balaguer (PRSC) were to be his contender, Hipólito Mejía would win with 48% of the vote. The poll speculates that PLD voters would return the PRSC favor of the 1996 election, and their vote would bring Balaguer’s total to 45% of the vote. The Gallup poll continues to show that Danilo Medina has not been very convincing as a PLD candidate. When asked which of all politicians is best suited to govern the country, polled voters responded: Hipólito Mejía, 34%; Joaquín Balaguer, 27%; Danilo Medina, 15%; Leonel Fernández, 10% and Jaime Fernandez Mirabal, 3%. The Constitution bans President Leonel Fernández from running for re-election. The voters were polled from 11-16 April nationwide. Of these, 90% said they would vote for sure.
