In an interview with El Pais, President Luis Abinader spoke about efforts to bring welfare to the poor and back creating jobs in the private sector. “The best social program is creating jobs,” he said. He spoke of making government more efficient, improving institutions and independent administration of justice.
He also mentioned he and his wife spent a night at the Presidential Palace. In the Dominican Republic, it is customary for the head of state to live outside the Presidential Palace.
In the interview, President Abinader expressed his position in favor of the three exceptions to the absolute ban on abortion. This is the same position maintained by former President Danilo Medina who on two occasions banned the passing of an amended Penal Code because it did not incorporate the exceptions for incest, rape and risk to the life of the mother and child. Abinader said the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) shares this position. Nevertheless, the PRM that now is majority in Congress, has maneuvered so as to remove the abortion clauses from the Penal Code, leaving these to be included in a separate bill.
Abinader spoke of the government’s position of collaborating with the international community for building hospitals in Haiti. At present, hundreds of thousands of Haitians cross the border to receive free services at Dominican hospital emergency areas.
Abinader said that Covid-19 in the Dominican Republic is “under control,” with a low fatality rate. The president of the Dominican Society of Infectology Rita Rojas disputed the statement that the disease is under control and warns of a major surge in cases in January due to family and friend gatherings for the holidays. Abinader has said normalcy will return once the vaccination programs are working in the DR and around the world.
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El Pais
27 December 2020