Former President Leonel Fernandez says that a presidential election campaign is about the future, not the past, as reported in El Caribe. He says farms will be the priority of the next PLD administration due to the growing need for food and water.
He said that according to projections, the island of Hispaniola would have a population of 40 million by 2040 n 20 million in the DR and 20 million in Haiti.
“This will require more capacity for food and water supply,” he said. He said that 80% of food consumed in the country was produced locally. “Now we need to evolve from being producers and consumers to exporters of food and we will achieve this in the next PLD administration,” he said.
He highlighted his support for farming during his three terms of office and mentioned the construction of the northwestern and southwestern aqueducts.
Fernandez was speaking during a launch of events by the Rural Society for Leonel (Sorudel) that is campaigning for him to be the PLD candidate in 2016.
Referring to the possible re-election of President Danilo Medina due to his high levels of popularity, Fernandez said that Medina has said he will address the subject when the time was right and so he would not speak of the issue either. He said that “when the winds blow stronger he will decide whether or not to seek the candidacy,” as quoted in El Caribe.
The former President and president of the ruling PLD party would be the man to beat in the PLD where others are actively seeking the party candidacy.
Given the lack of any strong opposition, with the fragmented PRD and PRSC, political analysts say that whoever the PLD candidate may be, he or she is likely to win the 2016 presidential election.
Read more in Spanish: http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2014/08/25/leonel-campo-sera-primero-otra-gestion