President Danilo Medina has held separate meetings with the leaders of the two factions within the PRD opposition party, former President Hipolito Mejia and PRD president Miguel Vargas Maldonado. The consultations with political leaders and representatives of other sectors are aimed at reaching a consensus on the naturalization bill. Both Mejia and Vargas pledged their support for the President at the meetings that took place yesterday, Wednesday 26 March. Medina said that he has promised to send a draft to everyone with whom he has spoken. “We want the proposal we will send to Congress to have the support of influential members of Dominican society so that the proposal can be made, because there is no point in sending a bill that does not attain the desired results.”
Former President Mejia offered Medina his support. “I am clear on my relations with Haiti, and what has happened with this problem. I offer my absolute and total support,” he said. He added that he wanted to be part of the solution.
As soon as Medina left Mejia’s house, he went to Miguel Vargas Maldonado’s apartment where he spent an hour and thanked him for his understanding of the issues. Vargas Maldonado said that based on the President’s explanations of the “Law of Recognition”, (he never said ‘Naturalization’), it appeared to be viable and adequate, but he did ask for the proposal in order to study it. He said that he would issue instructions to the PRD bloc of deputies in Congress for the legislation to be analyzed and assessed together with the party’s legal advisors in order to find the solutions the circumstances deserve and merit.