Jose Tomas Perez, the lone PLD senator in Congress, announced his decision to not run again on the PLD ticket for the National District seat in the Senate in the May 2006 congressional election. He said his decision comes because a consensus was not reached in the party to consolidate a candidacy. Meanwhile, the PLD faction of Secretary of the Presidency Danilo Medina presented the party’s secretary general, Reinaldo Pared Perez, as its candidate to senator.
In his announcement that he would not seek to repeat as senator, Jose Tomas Perez warned that if the PLD does not present a solid and consensus candidate, it will have a hard time defeating the opposition if the PRD and the PRSC join forces and present unified candidates. Nevertheless, Perez said he would continue to work for the party. He announced that he would present several bills that he considers are essential through the end of his term in August 2006.