The 30 senators of the National Senate unanimously voted in favor of Ramón Alburquerque, PRD-Monte Plata. Other members elected to the board of the Senate are Jesús Vásquez (PRD-María Trinidad Sánchez), vice president; Dagoberto Rodríguez Adames and Ginnete Bournigal de Jiménez, secretaries. The Senate announced its work sessions will begin on Tuesday, 18 August. Alburquerque improvised his speech as his original speech had been written thinking that the PLD would have cast its vote in favor of Winston Arnaud, the PRD candidate to preside the Chamber of Deputies. Alburquerque considered the election of Peguero Méndez as a humiliation to the party. He said it killed the possibility of dialogue and consensus with the government. He threatened not to ratify the free trade agreements the government has signed with Central America and is expected to sign with the English-speaking Caribbean this week. In his talk, which was held at the National Assembly Hall (where the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate gathers on 27 February and on occasion of the swearing in of the President) instead of at the Senate hall, he saluted the presence of President Leonel Fernández. President Fernández did not attend the session.
