President Danilo Medina met with editors and newspaper owners, including Jose Luis (Pepin) Corripio at the Presidential Palace yesterday, Wednesday 17 February 2016. Dominican Press Society members Miguel Franjul from Listin Diario, Rafael Molina Morillo from El Dia, Osvaldo Santana from El Caribe, Ingrid Gonzalez from La Informacion, Persio Maldonado from El Nuevo Diario, Bolivar Diaz from El Nacional, Adriano Miguel Tejada from Diario Libre and Bienvenido Alvarez Vega from Hoy also attended the meeting.
As reported in Diario Libre, President Medina told the editors that he would not be taking leave from his role as President to campaign for re-election. He said that neither past Presidents Hipolito Mejia nor Leonel Fernandez had done so.
He justified his decision to seek re-election on the grounds that he has a government project that he wants to continue, mentioning the extended school day program, the Punta Catalina coal-fired power plant, the transformation of public hospitals, construction of primary healthcare centers, and the 911 system.
Medina said he would not be aspiring to the Presidency in 2020 but would stay on in politics.
He said he has chosen his running mate, adding that he does not have to reveal the name until March.
The President said he is neither for nor against the presidential debate, pointing out that there is no debate culture in the country.
Danilo Medina observed that the only solution to the transport chaos was to add all the 33 metro lines, and said that a meeting would be convened with all transport stakeholders.
He said that the government is doing all it can to fight corruption, but the judiciary has to play its part.
Medina said that the country’s political party system was threatened by a lack of control within the political parties, which have lost the capacity to manage their internal processes, and urged for the approval of the political parties bill. He expressed agreement that the JCE should monitor the political parties’ internal processes. Regarding the strikes by public hospital doctors, the President said he would not meet with the new leadership of the medical association, saying that they have already received a 30% wage increase.
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/politica/danilo-a-los-medicos-comenzaron-mal-no-se-reunira-con-el-cmd-FY2771698
http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=465365
