The ruling Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) announced the choices to replace three deputies who at the start of government resigned to take high-ranking positions in the Abinader administration. The announcement comes after the deadline for their naming. The delay in the naming resulted when there were widespread rejection for the PRM continuing with a long standing political tradition. The general public rejected that the PRM, a political party that had promised change in government, name relatives of those that had resigned to the vacancies.
Named to the positions are lawyer Dulce Maria Quiñones, the female candidate who had received the most votes for deputy but didn’t win a seat. The male deputy who was the actual runner up for the position, Claudio Caamaño, was not chosen. Quiñones will replace Josefa Castillo, who was elected deputy for Boca Chica (Voting District #3), but resigned to take the position of Superintendent of Insurance. The media had carried stories that Castillo favored appointing her son to replace her in the Chamber of Deputies.
Dorina Yajaira Rodríguez Salazar replaces Olmedo Caba Romano, who resigned after being named director of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (the agency in charge of reservoirs). She ran for deputy for the PRM in San Francisco de Macoris. She is a member of the municipal executive committee of the ruling PRM in San Francisco de Macoris.
Luis Gomez Benzo replaces Nelson Arroyo, who won for San Pedro de Macoris but resigned to be instead executive director of the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel). Benzo is an accountant, lawyer and was city councilor in San Pedro de Macoris from 2012 to 2016 and 2016 to 2020. He is a two-time president of the board of councilors of San Pedro.
The replacement for the late Zaida Polanco, elected deputy for Mao in Valverde, was not announced. She died of Covid-19 virus shortly after being elected deputy.
As reported, the executive committee of the PRM met to decide on the choice for deputies and then sent a letter with the recommendations to the Chamber of Deputies. The proposal was sent by the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfredo Pacheco and is signed by PRM president José Ignacio Paliza and secretary general Carolina Mejía.
The three deputies would be sworn in during the Tuesday, 10 November 2020 legislative session.
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Listin Diario
El Nacional
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N Digital
4 November 2020