President Leonel Fernández addressed the nation on Thursday evening, encouraging Dominicans to vote. In his speech, he promised he would work closely with whomever Dominicans elect to Congress and city governments. "Tonight, the eve before the elections in which the legislative houses and municipalities will elect new members, I ratify my calling to work shoulder to shoulder to successfully face the challenges of the present and the future. "As I have said before, the responsibility of leading the country to reach new stages of development is not a task of a single man, nor of a single party. It is the task and responsibility of all. For that reason, I reiterate my disposition to work together with Congress and the municipalities that result from the Saturday elections in a common agenda that may place the DR firmly on the road to the 21st century," said the President. In the same speech, the President pointed out that the government needs the support of Congress to pass several bills, including one for social security law, consumer protection, tax exemptions for small business to import machinery, another that would cut present red tape and contraband in Customs, export promotion legislation, intellectual property protection, anti-dumping and a bill that would give property titles to families that have lived for five years on state lands.
