Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal, who served as Leonel Fernandez’ Vice-President in the 1996-2000 government, said yesterday that he was confident the PLD would earn a decisive win in the first round of next year’s Presidential election. In his view, the public, who are disillusioned with the current government’s economic failures, will vote overwhelmingly for a return to economic stability and confidence in politicians. Fernandez Mirabal cited uncontrolled government spending, wasteful practices of government institutions and the authorities’ economic mismanagement as the factors that are causing the greatest harms to the economy. Adrian Miguel Tejada, who writes the Diario Libre newspaper’s back-page commentary, says that PLD candidate Leonel Fernandez is in an enviable position with his showings in all the recent opinion polls. “As far as some people are concerned, all the PLD Presidential candidate has to do is stand against the wall and wait for time to pass until 16 May (the election date). It is too good to be true.” Tejada warns against complacency, however, reminding that it would not be the first time that over-confidence has cost someone an election victory. “Whatever the advantage, a candidate has to work hard,” cautions the commentator, who continues to say that Leonel knows that he must “stick” the notion of his victory into the minds of the electorate, as if it were a tattoo. Leonel’s only obstacle is massive electoral fraud and for that reason he is aware that international supervision of the upcoming elections is essential. “The biggest problem, however, is the possibility of forming a credible front, because it looks as if these elections will be one big market,” concludes Tejada, who may be contacted at atejada@tricom.net