Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) presidential candidate, Luis Abinader urged that Dominican leadership meet to together define the national strategies so that the country can face the challenges the coronavirus epidemic has brought upon the nation.
“These common challenges cannot be addressed by any single organization or political figure alone,” he said, reiterating his view that “this is the time for national unity, to abandon individual interests and to embrace dialogue and consultation. It is time to define a national plan to combat the Covid-19, to have a national strategy to react to it, and to have a national strategy to fight against it,” he said.
The coronavirus epidemic has impacted almost all productive sectors in the country. The nation’s leading hard currency sources – the tourism industry and remittances have felt the full brunt of the global crisis. The Ministry of Labor reports upwards of 700,000 employees suspended from their jobs.
Presidential and congressional elections are scheduled for 17 May 2020. Sectors agree there are no conditions for the election to be held on that date and the election needs to be postponed. Presidential and The February Diario Libre-Greenberg poll showed that Abinader lead 52% to 24% over Gonzalo Castillo, the ruling Dominican Liberation Party candidate and Leonel Fernández of People’s Force with 17%.
As the coronavirus escalates, the scenario of there not being able to be a change of government in August 2020 becomes a reality. If elections are not able to be held, the present government will continue in power.
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Diario Libre
9 April 2020