President-elect Luis Abinader tweeted on Thursday, 23 July 2020 that he will be naming former president of the Senate, 62-year old Jesús Vásquez Martínez, his minister of Interior & Police. Vásquez Martínez replaces Ramón (Monchy) Fadul.
Abinader also named Mercedes Perez Ceballos as deputy minister for social management and citizen education.
Vásquez Martínez is a four-time senator (1994-2010), representing María Trinidad Sánchez province. He was previously provincial governor for the province from 1982-1985. He served as consul general to Venezuela from 1985 to 1986. He presided the Senate from 2003-2004.
He was initially indicted in the Odebrecht bribery case, but later removed from the case.
For years, he served as secretary-general of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), before handing the position to Carolina Mejía.
His biography indicates that he has a degree in Political Science from Cork Institute, International Seminar on the FTAA, Miami; Regional Integration, Chile; International on the Hague International Court, Rome, Italy; Productivity and Development, Taiwan.
Vásquez was part of the National Commission for Assessment of Personnel that was in charge of preselecting and organizing those that would be named to the Abinader administration come 16 August 2020. Others on the commission are Luis Valdez, Kimberly Taveras Duarte, Nelson Arroyo and Yadira Henríquez.
The Abinader cabinet is shaping up as follows, in order of announcement of the appointments:
Ethics and corruption Office director: Milagros Ortiz Bosch
Minister of the Presidency: Lisandro Macarrulla
Foreign Relations Minister: Roberto Álvarez Gil
Education Minister: Roberto Furcal
Spokesperson for the Presidency: Milagros Germán
Governor of the Central Bank: Hector Valdez Albizu
Economy & Planning Minister: Miguel Ceara Hatton
Hacienda Minister: Jochi Vicente
Superintendent of Banks: Alejandro Fernández Whipple
National Budget director: Jose Rijo Presbot
CEI-RD director: Biviana Riveiro
Economic advisor to the President: Pedro Silverio
Legal Advisor to the President: Antoliano Peralta
Energy & Mines Minister: Antonio Almonte Reynoso
Administrative Minister of the Presidency: José Ignacio Paliza
Defense Minister: Major General Carlos Luciano Díaz Morfa
Head of the Health Cabinet: Vice President-elect Raquel Peña
Public Health Minister: Plutarco Arias
Deputy Minister for Collective Health: Ivelisse Acosta
Executive director Public Procurement Agency: Carlos Pimentel
Tourism Minister: David Collado
Tourism Advisor to the President: Joel Santos
Public Works Minister Deligne Ascención
Youth Minister: Kimberly Taveras Duarte
Interior & Police Minister: Jesús (Chu) Vásquez
Public Administration Minister: Dario Castillo Lugo
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Listin Diario
23 July 2020