Dr. José Francisco Peña Gómez, leader of the Partido Revolucionario Dominicano, said that the political party’s pre-candidates for the position of mayor of Santo Domingo unanimously agreed to conform to a consensus ticket and to support the verdict as to the winner of the PRD primary that was held on Sunday, 14 December. The official winner of the right to run for mayor on the PRD ballot in the May 1998 election has yet to be announced. Political analysts say that the delays are proof of the internal divisions and lack of a strong leadership within the party. Dr. Peña Gómez is seriously ill with cancer. He said that the PRD agreed to integrate into the city government members of the three contending factions of the PRD – followers of Dr. Rafael Suberví Bonilla, present mayor of Santo Domingo; followers of Hipólito Mejía, a former minister of agriculture and private agribusiness man; and Hatuey de Camps, actual secretary general of the party. Luís Mariñez, who has the support of Mayor Suberví, appeared in the preliminary counts to be ahead by some 1,500 votes. Miguel Vargas, who was promoted by the Hatuey de Camps group, contested the election preliminary results.
