The presidential elections are scheduled for May 2024, but politics is alive and kicking. The PLD has announced an automated “consultation” for 16 October 2022 to measure the popularity of several contenders for the former ruling party’s presidential candidacy. The candidates are:
Former two-term Vice President Margarita Cedeño is one of the most active campaigners, with a novel and innovative campaign that keeps her present in the media. Cedeño supervised a billionaire social budget when she was First Lady to former President Leonel Fernandez. She now says she is staying young to be able to deal as the next President of the Dominican Republic with all the problems the Abinader administration will leave behind.
The other candidates are: the mayor of Santiago, Abel Martínez; former attorney general of the Republic, Francisco Domínguez Brito; former congresswoman Karen Ricardo, and the former minister of Labor, Maritza Hernández and the PLD politician Luis de León.
According to the PLD party explanation, the Ministry of Education is making available 1,589 educational centers available for the installation of 2,600 political party consultation centers.
The Central Electoral Board is providing the equipment for the automated vote count and the consumables, not so the staff.
All PLD members and persons not affiliated with any other registered political party are eligible to participate in the vote.
The consultation is not a primary; the results are not binding. Yet, the six contestants agreed in writing to back the winner of the most popular. The agreement states that this person will be the presidential candidate to be presented to the electoral congress the party will carry out during the electoral pre-campaign in 2023.
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Diario Libre
Noticias SIN
N Digital
Diario Libre
13 October 2022