Returning to the Presidential Palace for the first time since he left the Presidency in 2004, former President Hipolito Mejia met with President Danilo Medina today, Monday 8 April. He was accompanied by his son Ramon Hipolito and daughter Carolina, former Vice President Milagros Ortiz Bosch, and party secretary Orlando Jorge Mera, who is the son of former President Salvador Jorge Blanco. The former president of the Senate Andres Bautista, Geanilda Vazquez, former Minister of the Presidency under the President Guzman government, his daughter Sonia Guzman and Mejia’s son in law and former minister of the Presidency, Sergio Grullon were also present. President Medina was accompanied by administrative minister Jose Ramon Peralta and his personal assistant Carlos Pared Perez.
Speaking after the meeting, which lasted for one hour, former President Mejia expressed his support for Danilo Medina’s policies, with special praise for the action taken in the education and farming sectors. He said the purpose of the meeting was to deliver the Bill on Political Parties to Medina. A draft of the bill has languished in Congress for around a decade. Mejia said that other issues covered included the review of the Barrick Pueblo Viejo contract, as reported in El Nuevo Diario. The PRD opposition party is suffering a major internal rift and Hipolito Mejia represents one of the two rival factions. Mejia was his party’s candidate in the 2012 presidential election, which Medina won with 51.21% of the vote compared to Mejia’s 46.95%.
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