It is reported today that the PPH (Proyecto Presidencial Hipolito, the internal PRD campaign promoting the President’s re-election) has stepped up its efforts to woo former Presidential hopeful Rafael “Fello” Subervi Bonilla into accepting the candidacy for Vice-President alongside Hipolito Mejia. Subervi has been visited by senior party figures such as Vicente Sanchez Baret, the new PRD president, and Senate president Jesus Vazquez. There are also claims that Fello’s wife, Miguelina Subervi, who is currently standing in for him as Tourism Minister, has met with President Hipolito Mejia to discuss political as well as tourism issues. Fello, who has repeatedly insisted he would not accept the Vice-Presidential nomination, is said to be consulting his supporters before making any announcement, having kept himself away from the public spotlight for the last two weeks. In Diario Libre’s back-page column “De Buena Tinta,” editorial team member Adriano Miguel Tejada writes that the question of the VP’s candidacy is crucial for the opposition PLD as well as the ruling PRD party. Hipolito Mejia needs someone who will convey the impression of party unity. His best prospect, according to Tejada, is therefore Rafael Subervi Bonilla. But, he also needs someone who will guarantee stability, and this makes a youngster like Orlando Jorge Mera (son of former President Salvador Jorge Blanco) an attractive contender. In the case of the PLD, the matter is less urgent, but still an issue. Some say there should be a candidate from the Cibao region to provide a balance for Presidential candidate Leonel Fernandez’ “capitaleno” provenance, thus throwing Francisco Dominguez Brito and former VP Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal into the ring. Behind the scenes, former Presidential candidate Danilo Medina is making strategic moves. What is clear, concludes the columnist, is that the issue of the second mate is of primary importance.