President Luis Abinader is one of the most highly regarded politicians in the Americas, and he is also popular at home. He is attempting to successfully end his current second four-year term, despite the fact he may be regarded by some as a “lame duck politician,” since he will not contend to stay in power beyond 2028.
N Digital, nevertheless, reports the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) has announced Abinader will preside the party from 2026 onwards. At present, Minister of the Presidency Jose Ignacio Paliza is the party president and capital city Mayor Carolina Mejia, the secretary general, both named in 2018 and reconfirmed in 2022.
The PRM spokespersons did not say who will be the secretary general given that Mejia is one of the seven leading contenders for the presidential candidacy in the 2028 general election. The top six that have expressed their interest in the presidential nominations are Vice President Raquel Peña, National District Mayor Carolina Mejia, Tourism Minister David Collado, Customs Agency director Eduardo Sanz Lovaton, Telecommunications Institute president Guido Gomez Mazara, former president of the Senate Ramon Alburquerque.
N Digital writes that with President Luis Abinader confirmed as the PRM’s presidential candidate for 2026, the internal competition within the party will focus on the role of secretary general, a position crucial for the future of the organization. The secretary general role is especially important given that Abinader will still have the main job of being President of the Dominican Republic until August 2028.
According to PRM’s statutes, those holding the presidency, general secretariat, and organizational positions are not allowed to run for elected office. Therefore, it is not of interest to the presidential hopefuls but rather to their chosen candidates.
N Digital writes that the potential candidates for secretary general are:
Minister of Interior and Police Faride Raful, Public Works Minister Deligne Ascención (he leaves the position on 26 February); Labor Minister Eddy Olivares; Social programs director Gloria Reyes; Sports Minister Kelvin Cruz; deputy Aníbal Díaz; and Port Authority director Jean Luis Rodríguez.
Ascención is currently the secretary of organization for the PRM.
Eddy Olivares is the second vice president of the PRM and for years he has been a spokesperson for the Hipolito Mejia faction of the PRM, that backs the Carolina Mejia presidential project.
Director of the Supérate Program, Gloria Reyes has been a PRM deputy in Santo Domingo and is a member of the party’s executive board. She is associated with the presidential project of Eduardo Sanz Lovatón, director of the Customs Agency.
Minister of Sports and a prominent figure in local government, Kelvin Cruz is a member of the PRM’s executive board. He previously led the Dominican Federation of Municipalities and is aligned with the presidential project of David Collado, the current Minister of Tourism.
A prominent PRM leader and one of the key figures in David Collado’s presidential campaign, Aníbal Díaz is a re-elected deputy from the National District and a former director of Public Spaces in the National District City Hall.
The current Director of the Port Authority, former deputy, and vice-secretary general of the PRM, Jean Luis Rodríguez is aligned with Vice President Raquel Peña, although there are no signs yet that Peña will run for president.
Speaking during the recent meetings of the echelons of the PRM, Andrés Bautista, the ad vitam president of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), stated that the party’s challenge is to strengthen its leadership, unity, and respect for its statutes and rules.
Also the current Minister of the Presidency, Bautista emphasizes that it is up to the PRM leadership to demonstrate that their rapid rise to power—achieving the presidency in just five years and securing two victories in less than a decade—is only the beginning of a new phase in the country’s governance.
He underscored the importance for PRM members to follow the example of President Luis Abinader, who works tirelessly to address the problems facing the Dominican people. Bautista concluded, “The best way to ensure the PRM’s continuity in power is by governing with efficiency and transparency.”
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13 February 2025