The ruling PLD party has announced that the meeting of the 35 members of the influential Political Committee will be held at the Metro Country Club in Juan Dolio, San Pedro de Macoris starting at 10am on Sunday 19 April 2015. Supporters of President Danilo Medina want the Political Committee to approve a motion for Congress to change the 2010 Constitution in order to allow President Medina to seek re-election. Changing the Constitution is a regular practice in the Dominican Republic. In recent years former Presidents Hipolito Mejia (2003) and Leonel Fernandez (2010) have changed the Constitution to favor their political aspirations. Both have announced their aspirations to run in the May 2016 election.
A previous meeting was attended by 34 of the members, with the exception of Jose Tomas Perez, who was recently appointed as Dominican ambassador to the United States. Diario Libre speculates that the re-election issue will not be discussed in the 19 April meeting because the party is likely to wait for the PRM to choose its presidential candidate between Hipolito Mejia and Luis Abinader. That primary is set for 26 April. The PRD has already chosen Miguel Vargas Maldonado.
The Political Committee meetings are chaired by President Danilo Medina, former President Leonel Fernandez who is the president of the PLD, general secretary Reinaldo Pared Perez, Vice President Margarita Cedeno and Senate president Cristina Lizardo. The other members are former Vice President Rafael Alburquerque, Chamber of Deputies president Abel Martinez Minister of Women Alejandrina German, director of the National Housing Institute Alma Fernandez, Minister of Environment Bautista Rojas Gomez, Minister of Education Carlos Amarante Baret, President Medina’s assistant Carlos Pared Perez, legal advisor to the President Cesar Pina Toribio, consul in New York Eduardo Selman, Insurance Superintendent Euclides Gutierrez, Oil Refinery director Felix (Felucho) Jimenez, Tourism Minister Francisco Javier Garcia, Franklin Almeyda, Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo, Minister of Sports Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal, Jose Joaquin Bido Medina, Minister of Interior and Police Jose Ramon (Monchi) Fadul, Dominican ambassador in the United States Jose Tomas Perez, Santo Domingo East mayor Juan de los Santos, Minister of Economy Juan Temistocles Montas, senator Julio Cesar Valentin, Presidency special programs director Lidio Cadet, deputy Lucia Medina (Yomaira), deputy Miriam Cabral, deputy Radhames Camacho, former Attorney General Radhames Jimenez, former executive vice president of the Public Electricity Corporation Rhadames Segura, Minister of Public Administration Ramon Ventura Camejo, executive vice president of the Public Electricity Corporation Ruben Jimenez Bichara and Minister of Hacienda Simon Lizardo.
http://www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2015/4/14/363428/La-reunion-del-CP-del-PLD-sera-en-complejo-turistico-de-Juan-Dolio