Ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) presidential candidate Gonzalo Castillo announced that Vice President Margarita Cedeño is his choice for running mate in the 2020 May presidential election. President Danilo Medina was present for the announcement during the assembly of delegates of the PLD held at the Volleyball Pavilion in the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center on Monday, 24 February 2020. Cedeño is a two-time Vice President under the Danilo Medina governments.
Margarita Cedeño is the wife of former President Leonel Fernández. The 54-year old lawyer was First Lady 2004-2008 and 2008-2012. Her husband lost in the PLD primary of 6 October 2020. Cedeño had offered him her support as he campaigned for the presidential ticket of the ruling political party. Fernández has argued he was a victim of e-voting fraud in the primary.
During her acceptance speech, Margarita Cedeño said: “We are going to think about serving the party, to serve the people. It is a great honor,” she said. She thanked Gonzalo Castillo and the Political Committee and party delegates for trusting her to be the vice-presidential candidate.
“I came to serve my party, to serve my people, and I will continue working so that Gonzalo Castillo becomes President,” Cedeño said.
The PLD becomes the first major party to announce its vice-presidential candidate. The deadline had been 3 March 2020, but after the rescheduling of the municipal election to 15 March, the Central Electoral Board (JCE) extended the deadline for the registration of presidential and vice-presidential candidates to 10 March.
Read more in Spanish:
El Caribe
El Dia
El Dia
Margarita Cedeño biography
25 February 2020