Orlando Gil, the political columnist of the Listin Diario, writes today to speculate that former President Hipolito Mejia is supporting the organization of a new foundation, such as President Leonel Fernandez set up his Fundacion Global, Democracia y Desarrollo upon leaving office in 2000. Orlando Gil speculates that a meeting held at the new San Cristobal plantation house of the former President with the participation of former economic advisor Andres Dauhajre and his associate Jaime Aristy Escuder could have served this purpose. Dauhajre is the president of the Fundacion Desarrollo y Economia, a long-standing economic research center. Also participating in the San Cristobal meeting were Eligio Jaquez (former minister of agriculture), Peggy Cabral, Miguel Vargas Maldonado (former minister of public works), Fernando Duran, Ana Maria Acevedo, Pastora Mendez (former national treasurer) and Jose Lois Malkum (former governor of the Central Bank).
Commenting on the meeting, that he said was called in a hushed, almost hidden manner, he said that there was speculation that the meeting was a way of former President Hipolito Mejia assuming leadership in the PRD party, over the heads of Vicente Sanchez Baret, president and Rafael Subervi Bonilla, secretary general.
Another rumor that he shared with his readers is that the new foundation would be financed with money left over from the presidential re-election campaign, at a time when many in the PRD say the election effort left the party with debts. He speculates that the PPH faction of the PRD that backed the failed reelection of former President Hipolito Mejia has an abundance of funds, despite claims to the contrary. He speculates on who would be the director of the new foundation, mentioning Fernando Duran, Ana Maria Acevedo (the PPH cheap pollster) or Miguel Vargas Maldonado, commenting that the latter has political aspirations.