Upon winning the presidential election, President Luis Abinader called for meeting the two runner ups in the election, Leonel Fernandez (Fuerza del Pueblo) and Abel Martinez (Dominican Liberation Party) to open a stage for consensus talks, mainly regarding the most pressing reforms that are pending. The invitation was made at a time when it was confirmed the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party would have the needed majority to expedite any reform through Congress without the vote of opposition party members.
Abel Martinez, who received 10.39% of the vote in the election, promptly said yes. He would receive President Abinader at his home on Thursday, 24 May 2024, and said he would back the bills that were for the collective good.
Leonel Fernandez, reportedly was ill with one of the many viruses circulating these days. The meeting was postponed for when President Luis Abinader returned from his work-vacation with his family to Italy and Portugal. The meeting was set for 2 June 2024.
Yet, with Abinader in Europe, the three-term President Leonel Fernandez and his board at the Fuerza del Pueblo would announce an indefinite postponement of the meeting.
Radhamés Jiménez, vice president of the Fuerza del Pueblo party, said party politics experts proposed to the party president, Leonel Fernández, that the meeting be postponed until the internal discussion process of the recent general election is concluded.
Fernandez received 28.85% of the vote in the presidential election to President Abinader’s 57.44% and Abel Martinez’s 10.39%.
Presidential spokesman Homero Figueroa lamented the postponement in a note on his X (Twitter) account.
Figueroa wrote:
“In response to the decision of the Political Committee of the People’s Force to postpone without a date the meeting between President Luis Abinader and former candidate Leonel Fernández, I allow myself to share a reflection on the importance of dialogue and cooperation in the current political context of our country.
“President Abinader, despite his large victory in the recent elections, firmly believes in dialogue and consensus with all national leaders as a fundamental pillar to define the future of the country. That is why we consider that the most responsible attitude at this time is not to shy away from dialogue because now political competition must give way to cooperation and joint work for the common good.
“The country expects its leaders to have the ability to sit down and talk and seek consensual solutions to the challenges we face. The indefinite postponement of this meeting may send the wrong message to citizens, suggesting that partisan differences continue to prevail over the national interest. It is crucial that we demonstrate political maturity and a sincere commitment to the well-being of our nation.
“We regret the decision to indefinitely postpone this important meeting because open and continued dialogue between our country’s leaders is essential to strengthening democracy and moving forward in building a more prosperous future for all.”
The Fuerza del Pueblo was born in 2019 after a divide with the Dominican Liberation Party when then President Danilo Medina backed his Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo for the PLD presidential candidate. During the computerized primaries, pre-candidate Leonel Fernandez was winning, until abruptly the numbers changed radically in favor of Castillo. As a result, the former ruling party was divided into those who continued to back Fernandez and those who backed Medina. The divide has considerably weakened the party that had governed for 16 straight years.
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DR1 News
28 May 2024