The vote of the ruling PLD Central Committee to decide on the modality to choose presidential candidates for the party ended with a vote in favor of using the general national voting list handled by the Central Electoral Board (JCE). It was also agreed that a commission would come up with amendments to the party statutes. The decision would be ratified by the full leadership of the ruling party.
The assembly, in which 559 of the 607 members participated, lasted only ten minutes, which was enough time for the members to vote on this single issue.
The meeting ended what was perceived in the media as a tug of war between President Danilo Medina and former President Leonel Fernandez, who is the president of the PLD. There was speculation the differences among the two were growing and could divide the party.
But then it would be Leonel Fernandez himself who would announced the motion for the open simultaneous primaries in the name of the Political Committee of the party had been accepted. The motion had the support of President Medina. Observers say the ruling PLD party again averted splitting the party between the two leaders –Medina and Fernandez.
Fernandez announced: “In the new modality and product of the agreement, the exercise of the right of our members to elect and be elected is guaranteed; and it offers the opportunity to the sympathizers of our organization to be part of the selection of our candidates “.
The vote was supervised by the Central Electoral Board technicians and was held behind closed doors. In making the announcement, PLD party secretary general Reynaldo Pared Perez said the motion was adopted by the majority of members.
The vote was conducted after the Political Parties Law authorized political parties to choose closed primaries, open primaries and even polls as methodology for the selection of their candidates.
Diario Libre explains that the agreement rolls the differences between both political leaders to March 2019, when Medina has said he will announce whether he will seek reelection in the 2020 general election. The 2015 Constitution bans him from running for reelection. Nevertheless, the ruling PLD party has the votes in Congress to promote an amendment allowing for his reelection, as occurred in 2015.
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Diario Libre
El Dia
El Dia
Diario Libre
29 October 2018
