2004 – Page 240

Opposition Presidential candidate, the PLD’s Leonel Fernandez, said that the IMF agreement was “the only way out” for the country. He described the pact as “the lesser of two evils” and compared it to “open heart surgery without an anaesthetic, with the only other option being death. Speaking in New York, he expressed firm opposition …

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Diario Libre’s editorial reaction to the resumption of the IMF agreement is terse: “Tough guy needed,” it states in reference to President Hipolito Mejia’s nickname “El Guapo.” Economic confidence is a main ingredient in the process of recovery, according to the writer. “Maybe President Hipolito Mejia will prove that he is really a tough guy …

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Today sees the Preferential Presidential Vote electoral reform bill’s last chance of approval by the Chamber of Deputies, with the odds stacked against its success. The Central Electoral Board (JCE) informed deputies yesterday that the proposed law, also known as the Ley de Lemas, would be difficult and costly to implement in time for the …

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As reported previously in DR1 news, groups from all quarters of society have expressed concern about the proposed electoral reform, which would allow each party to present as many as five Presidential candidates on its ticket. Diario Libre newspaper reports that the American Chamber of Commerce has come out against the controversial law, describing it …

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An opinion poll of Dominican voters conducted by Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, Inc. from 21 to 24 January predicts an overwhelming victory for the PLD’s Leonel Fernandez in the first round of the Presidential election this May. PRSC candidate Eduardo Estrella is given 16% and President Hipolito Mejia, as the candidate for the ruling …

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Ana Mitila Lora in the Listin Diario writes about the results of the Penn, Schoen and Berland poll which gives PLD candidate Leonel Fernandez a crushing majority in May’s Presidential election. Leonel’s 65% versus Hipolito’s 13% demonstrates the public’s rejection of the current government and the economic situation. “The public does not forgive the loss …

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A number of airport employees are under investigation following a reported theft from the luggage of former President and PLD Presidential candidate Leonel Fernandez. The accused include military personnel, American Airlines employees and airport security staff. Fernandez reported that his luggage had been opened, and a watch and several pairs of cufflinks stolen. The chief …

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Spanish businessman Juan Jose Hidalgo of the Globalia consortium, which has bought an area of land within the limits of the National Park of the East, is to face questioning from the Environment Ministry’s attorney general, Jose Trinidad Sena, this morning. An inquiry into the affair was ordered by Environment Minister Frank Moya Pons, who …

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Margarita Cordero of the Diario Libre editorial team deals with the proposed tourist development of Parque Nacional del Este. In her column today, titled “The Battle of Bayahibe,” she comments on the strange alliance of environmental activists and hoteliers, who do not usually have the protection of the environment as their priority. The real issue, …

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The Dominican Olympic Committee has recognized the country’s ten gold-medalists in the 2003 Pan American Games as “Athletes of the Year.” In the past, the annual award had gone to a single athlete. Those who won the prestigious sports title were: Felix Sanchez and Juana Arrendel (track & field), Luis Benitez and Gina Ruiz (tae …

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