If the presidential election were held today, PLD candidate Leonel Fern?ndez would win outright, according to the Gallup-Omnimedia poll published today in the Diario Libre. The former President would receive over 51% of the vote, which would thus preclude the need for a second round. PRSC candidate Eduardo Estrella would secure just 12.7% of the vote. Fern?ndez has a higher popularity rate with women voters (55.7%) compared with men, 46.8% of whom would vote for the official PLD candidate. Leonel Fern?ndez is equally popular with rich and poor voters, according to the poll.
As the ruling PRD has not yet selected its official candidate, the party?s vote was split between the pre-candidates as follows: Hip?lito Mej?a, 8.7%; Milagros Ort?z Bosch, 7.7%; Rafael Suberv? Bonilla, 5.7% and Hatuey Decamps, 2.7%. The other pre-candidates, Emmanuel Esquea Guerrero, Rafael Flores Estrella, Jos? Rodr?guez Soldevila, Ram?n Alburquerque and Jos? Rafael Abinader would draw less than 1% each.
The pollsters found that the electorate is rebuffing the President at a high rate, with 55.6% specifying that they would definitely not vote for him if he were a candidate. This contrasts sharply with the relatively low rejection rates for Leonel Fern?ndez (15.3%) and Eduardo Estrella (13.7%).