President Hipolito Mejia now has three pre-candidates on board for the planning of the proposed PRD party convention to select its Presidential candidate. Yesterday’s summit meeting was attended by rival pre-candidates Vice-President Milagros Ortiz Bosch, party secretary Rafael “Fello” Subervi Bonilla and Enmanuel Esquea Guerrero; party president Hatuey Decamps, Ramon Alburquerque, Rafael Abinader and Rafael Flores Estrella did not take part in the meeting. Ortiz Bosch, Subervi Bonilla and Esquea Guerrero demanded that Mejia show his willingness to negotiate the 14 agenda points not covered in the meeting, making this a precondition to any future meeting. The key points not covered were the “50% + one vote” election principle and the rule that would allow the pre-candidates opposed to re-election to combine their totals behind the one with the largest share of the vote. Mejia refused to discuss these points at yesterday’s gathering, which took place behind closed doors and was reported to be “calm”. The newspapers report that certain members of the PPH (Proyecto Presidencial Hipolito, movement for the President’s re-election) were present, including Eligio Jaquez and Vicente Sanchez Baret, although they remained in the lobby, shouting “Convention! Convention!” as the pre-candidates emerged from the meeting. Milagros Ortiz Bosch told waiting reporters that “where there is intelligence, there is a solution.” Diario Libre’s Anibal de Castro feels the pre-candidates have varying aspirations “Nothing,” he said, “creates more loyalty than the public payroll,” – as if the President’s rival pre-candidates didn’t know it. Because of this, Mejia is “referee, judge, ball owner, team owner.” Despite his government’s catalogue of disasters, “Hipolito aspires to do one thing,” said de Castro. “And so do the rest of Dominicans – to stay alive until 16 May.”