2008 – Page 251

Clave newspaper, in association with Noxa-Cies of Spain, published its 8 April election poll yesterday, showing that President Leonel Fernandez would get 54% of the vote, Miguel Vargas (PRD) would receive 30% and Amable Aristy (PRSC) would get 8% of the vote. This improves President Fernandez’s chances of winning in the first round. In the …

Read more…

President Fernandez might have had a valid point when he said yesterday that there is a “crisis of thought” in the DR, which doesn’t allow for political debates. Or it could have been just more political mudslinging? Either way presidential contender Miguel Vargas Maldonado reacted to Fernandez’s comments by saying that the President has a …

Read more…

PRSC candidate Amable Aristy Castro said that President Leonel Fernandez insulted the Dominican public when he commented that he wouldn’t take part in debates because of the lack of a intellectual elite in the DR, during his participation in the National Young Entrepreneurs Association (ANJE) encounter with political andidates. Amable, quoted in Hoy, said that …

Read more…

During his speech at the National Association of Young Entrepreneurs (ANJE) meeting with 2008 presidential candidates, former Attorney General Guillermo Moreno, a newcomer to politics, spoke out in favor of a government that makes production a priority, reducing taxes on production, and increasing taxes on the highest earners, as reported in Hoy. He favored a …

Read more…

Spending on the Santo Domingo Metro has exceeded the RD$20 billion mark, according to Diandino Pena, director of the Transport Reorganization Office (OPRET). Pena tried his best to allay fears about ballooning costs, saying that the total budget would not come to more than RD$25 billion. Pena also assured the public that the Metro would …

Read more…

The DR is behind the other DR-CAFTA countries when it comes to applying policies that strengthen economic freedom and local competitiveness, as presented during an American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) workshop yesterday. According to Ignacio de Leon, the DR has the worst Index of Economic Freedom among the DR-CAFTA countries, and the lowest competitiveness index …

Read more…

The Dominican Medical Association (CMD) has ended its truce, announcing another public hospital work stoppage on 17 April. CMD president Waldo Ariel Suero held a press conference yesterday to announce the strike. Suero declared that initially the strike would last 24 hours but could be extended for a longer period, depending on the circumstances. Suero …

Read more…

The US has decided to fund the Organization of American States (OAS) mission that will be here on 16 May to observe the Dominican presidential elections. The US is giving the OAS US$150,000 for this purpose. The announcement was made by the PLD Strategic Commission director, Temistocles Montas, who received the news from US ambassador …

Read more…

70% of remittances to Dominicans are home delivered, while 25% are delivered through national banks. Dominicans have one of the highest remittances rates in Latin America, sending close to US$1,250,000 per month, as reported in Diario Libre. In 2007 Dominicans sent over US$3 billion back home. Estimates predict that this amount could increase by 5% …

Read more…

Ferreteria Americana, one of the leading local department stores, announces that it will turn its JF Kennedy location into Santo Domingo’s leading shopping mall, with a US$70 million investment in the next three years. President Leonel Fernandez was there for the groundbreaking ceremony. The mall will be built on a 62,000 square meter area. It …

Read more…