During the plebiscite held on Saturday, 14 October, Partido de la Liberación Dominicana members overwhelmingly voted in favor of a change in the way the party chooses its elected candidates. More than 96% of those voting, favored the switch to a secret and universal voting system, versus the open vote system in place since the party was founded in 1993 by former President Juan Bosch. Party sectors say that the present structure led to the choosing of Secretary of the Presidency Danilo Medina as presidential candidate, despite polls showing then Vice President Jaime David Fernández was a more marketable candidate. The defeat of the PLD in the polls gave strength to the internal move to change political structures within the party. The change will now be proposed at the Sixth Congress of the Party scheduled for next month.
