A political analysis published on 2 December 2019 in El Caribe by Yanessi Espinal speculates that the 2020 presidential election could end up being President Leonel Fernandez against PRM presidential candidate Luis Abinader. The feature analyses that recent polls are showing the candidacy of government-backed Gonzalo Castillo has not taken off as expected. Recently, evidence of irregular contracts signed by Castillo have been denounced by journalists Marino Zapete and Alicia Ortega. Danilo Medina is backing Castillo. The 2015 Constitution impedes Medina from running for office again.
Administrative Minister of the Presidency Jose Ramon Peralta says that Castillo is trailing Abinader by ten points in their polls and is in “a solid second place.” Not even the entire Medina government actively campaigning for Castillo has been able to make a difference. There is much speculation Castillo could end up in third place on 17 May 2020.
The writer says that so far, the Gonzalo Castillo team is targeting Leonel Fernandez as the man to beat, not Abinader. Fernández ran for presidential candidate for the ruling Dominican Liberation Party in the 6 October 2019 presidential primary. But at the end, the Central Electoral Board (JCE) proclaimed Castillo as the winner by around 25,000 votes. Fernandez alleged widespread fraud and seeks to run for other political parties.
The writer speculates that if the main leader today of the PLD [President Danilo Medina] cannot run for President, and the party’s candidate is having difficulties, then it is logical that PLD voters would seek another alternative and this could be Fernandez. “Some argue that the now presidential candidate of the People’s Force Party (Partido de los Trabajadores Dominicanos – PTD) could displace Castillo from second place and thus rank in the 17 May 2020 elections if there is a runoff,” she writes.
In the article, Espinal says there is still time for the Constitutional Court to rule against Fernández. The ruling PLD has disputed his right to run for President for another political party on grounds that this is established in Political Parties Law 33-18.
Read more in Spanish:
El Caribe
3 December 2019