Amid accusations of administrative corruption and past support from drug traffickers, former President Leonel Fernandez met with his supporters yesterday, Thursday 12 March 2015 and announced that he would now openly seek the ruling party’s presidential nomination. The meeting was held at Fernandez’s political office on Calle Benito Moncion at the corner with Ave. Bolivar in Santo Domingo’s Gazcue neighborhood.
Espaillat (Moca) senator Jose Rafael Vargas said that the more than 300 PLD Central Committee members who attended the meeting asked Fernandez to officially announce his aspirations to return to the Presidency in 2016. Vargas says the former President decided to run for President because of popular demand and the polls that show him as the favorite. The latest Gallup poll found that he would win in the second round of the election if chosen the PLD candidate.
Fernandez will begin his campaign with visits to Santo Domingo North tomorrow Saturday, 14 March 2015 and San Pedro de Macoris on Sunday, 15 March 2015 to continue with a tour nationwide as of 23 March.
On the question of re-election, senator Vargas said that was not an issue because it was banned in the 2010 Constitution. “If 18 senators and 56 deputies of the PLD are backing Leonel, then there is no reason to talk about re-election,” Vargas said. Their votes alone would block any Constitutional change motion from passing.
Re-election has been on the table, especially in the light of President Medina’s high popularity levels. All polls show an easy win for the PLD in a first round if Danilo Medina were the candidate.
While the Constitution should be the Constitution, Danilo Medina’s two immediate predecessors, Hipolito Mejia (2003) and former President Leonel Fernandez himself (2012) have set a precedent of seeking re-election by changing the Constitution under which they ran for office.
If selected, Fernandez will be running for his fourth term of office in the May 2016 election. The Constitution under which he was elected for President in 2008 banned him from running consecutively.
During the Thursday meeting, Fernandez said that the current Constitution must be respected.
Other leading PLD politicians who have already launched their aspirations are Minister of Economy, Planning and Development Temistocles Montas, Minister of Tourism Francisco Javier Garcia, senator and party secretary Reinaldo Pared Perez, and the former executive vice president of the Dominican Electricity Corporation (CDEEE) Radhames Segura.
http://leonelfernandez.com/noticias/leonel-fernandez-inicia-actividades-de-contacto-con-dirigentes-politicos-en-santo-domingo-y-el-resto-del-pais/
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