2003 – Page 72

President Mejia rejected two rather negative recent reports yesterday, including that by JP Morgan reported here on Monday. The President first dismissed the poll published in Uruguay and conducted by the Cima Institute, which called his government the “worst-rated” in Latin America and awarded a ranking of “poor performance” to his administration. In reference to …

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Moody’s Investor Service has lowered its risk assessment of the Dominican Republic from B1 to Ba2, according to the economic section of Hoy. Mario Mendez says that the persistent question regarding the government’s capacity to institute a program of credit stabilization within a political context are what pushed the rating down. The Ba2 rating affects …

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A new HIV vaccine will be tested in the DR, according to a front-page story in today’s Hoy newspaper. Yeycy Donastorg, a health specialist working for the Dermatological Institute, revealed the news at a workshop to prepare health workers from Latin America for the new trial. The vaccine will not be made from a live …

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Xarxa Teatre, the Valencian theater troupe that incorporates fireworks into their performances, is in Santo Domingo for two presentations in the Colonial City. On Thursday, 9 October at 7pm their free presentation of “Fuego del Mar” (“fire of the sea”) at Plaza de Espana will mark the opening of the VI International Theater Festival. This …

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El Caribe newspaper continues to report on the congressional manipulation of electoral districts (“gerrymandering”) to benefit the party in power. If all proposed motions are approved, the size of government would increase by one third, reports the newspaper. PRD deputy Radhames Gonzalez is confident that Congress will pass his motion to create three more provinces …

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The Executive Branch signed into effect Law 166-03, thereby increasing the allotment for city governments from 6% to 10% of the National Budget. President Mejia also announced he would send a bill to Congress to authorize the import of tax-free vehicles for mayors and vice-mayors.

The men of President Hipolito Mejia have petitioned that the Central Electoral Board (JCE) reject the plebiscite called for Sunday, 12 October, whereby PRD party members would pronounce their opinion on re-election within the party. Labor Secretary Milton Ray Guevara led a committee of the PPH faction (including Agriculture Minister Eligio Jaquez, Customs Department Director …

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Hoy newspaper’s front-page story highlights the results of a poll conducted by the firm Sigma Dos for the Consorcio Iberoamericano de Empresas de Investigacion de Mercados y Asesoramiento (CIMA) on the performance of Latin American heads of state. Some 6,094 persons were surveyed in 14 regional countries from August to September. On a country per …

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Technical Secretary of the Presidency Carlos Despradel said that JP Morgan does not have any in-depth knowledge of the economic problems that affect the Dominican Republic. To correct this, he invited their economic analysts to travel to the DR. According to Despradel, the present economic situation was caused by the collapse of Baninter and the …

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The Central Bank announced yesterday afternoon a unification of the exchange market, with the peso-dollar rate allowed to float according to supply and demand. According to the plan, all dollar operations would be transacted in the open market, in compliance with the government’s promise to the IMF to adopt such a procedure by year’s end. …

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