The Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) elected former President Danilo Medina to preside the party during the vote that took place as part of the party’s ongoing IX Convention José Joaquín Bidó Medina on Sunday, 7 March 2021. Former Monte Plata senator, Charles Mariotti was elected the party’s new secretary-general.
The swearing-in of Medina and Mariotti is set for next Sunday, 14 March at the closing plenary of the PLD congress. Medina is expected to then present his plans as the new PLD president.
Medina stated: “I have come to the conclusion that I have no other alternative but to assume the responsibility,” he said after being declared by “acclamation” as president of the opposition Dominican Liberation Party (PLD). He was the only candidate for the presidency.
After Medina was elected president of the party, voting took place to choose the new secretary-general. Mariotti competed against former Education Minister Andres Navarro and the former vice president of the Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE), Ruben Jiménez Bichara.
16 new members were elected to the Political Committee of the PLD, expanding the membership to 45 members. El Nuevo Diario gives details on the new members in its coverage of the convention.
The PLD had been the ruling political party for 20 consecutive years before splitting over disagreements with supporters of former President Leonel Fernández over the outcome of the primary held in October 2019, when the party chose Gonzalo Castillo to run for President for the PLD. Fernández had aspired for the candidacy and split from the party, claiming electronic fraud. He would found the People’s Force (FP) that he presides and run for the Presidency. Dozens of his followers split from the PLD to join Fernández in the new political party.
The PLD did poorly in the 2020 general elections. The party lost its majority position in both houses of Congress, lost positions in the country’s largest municipalities in the municipal elections, and the Presidency in the presidential election.
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El Nuevo Diario
8 March 2021