President-elect Leonel Fernandez took a series of steps that might well signal the course his government will take. The newly-elected leader of the PLD met Thursday with the business sector, and on Friday met with the banks, both local and foreign. Both meetings were held behind closed doors and reporters were not given any access to the discussions. According to the reports published in the Diario Libre on Saturday, banking supervision, the new rules and norms to be imposed by the banking system reform and worries about the consistency and stability of these new procedures were important subjects of discussion. The high interest rates being paid on Central Bank savings certificates was also a reportedly hot topic. The bankers recognized that the IMF reforms will require transparency, regulations and strict supervision from the banking community. The banks were represented by Manuel Lopez Valdez, the president of the Dominican Commercial Bank Association, and the chief officials of the Popular, Reservas, Leon, Progreso, Scotiabank, Citibank, BHD, Mercantil, BDI, Santa Cruz, Comercial Santiago, and Vimenca banks. President-elect Fernandez was accompanied by his economic team.
Shortly after this meeting, Fernandez told reporters that the National Games slated for this summer in Monte Plata will have to be postponed until at least 2005 because of the difficult economic situation. The games were originally scheduled for 2002, but were repeatedly postponed during the Mejia administration in order to give priority to the Pan American Games of August 2003.