DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

New Minister of Housing Victor (Ito) Bisono says works are advancing towards putting into effect new initiatives that will make obtaining construction permits more agile. Builders constantly complain the delays in issuing of the permits increase the cost of construction. The new systems seek to digitize and automate the procedures, simplifying the steps for all to gain. He said the country has a 1.2 million deficit in housing, when explaining the plan during an interview with the El Caribe media group.

Likewise, he announced that the Ministry of Housing, Habitat and Edifications (Mivhed) has issued Resolution #007-2026 making effective the new Construction Code of the Dominican Republic, the technical framework for design, construction and supervision of edifications nationwide.

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Following his arrival from Puerto Rico as part of a regional tour that will also include Mexico, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares began his official visit on Monday, 27 April 2026 by meeting with Spanish business leaders. Albares will meet with his counterpart, Roberto Alvarez on Tuesday at the Ministry of Foreign Relations.

The diplomatic mission is conducted in reciprocity to the meeting held by both ministers in Madrid in May 2025, serving to follow up on the work commitments agreed upon on that occasion.

The Ministry of Foreign Relations explains that both foreign ministers will hold a high-level working meeting to review preparatory works for the Ibero-American Summit in Madrid, scheduled for 4 and 5 November 2026, under the theme “Ibero-America. Together we build our community. Together we project it towards the future...

The Presidency announced it will cover medical costs for the person injured when a speeding advance security SUV imprudently took a curve wrong and rammed into a vehicle that was stationary on the road. The driver in the vehicle is hospitalized at the Centro Medico Bournigal clinic in Puerto Plata, and the staff in the other vehicle is hospitalized in Cedimat in Santo Domingo, Major General Jimmy Arias, chief of the Presidential Security Corps (Cusep) told El Dia.

The security staff were making their way to Sosua to prepare for the Presidential visit to inaugurate the renovations in that beach town.

A video from Diario Libre shares the precise moment when a vehicle was impacted on the Maimon-Puerto Plata road which such force that both vehicles slid down the hill.

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Judge Raymundo Mejia of the First Instruction Court of the National District rejected that former JetSet employee and the club’s roof collapse survivor Gregory Adames present evidence that could serve to elevate the responsibility of the nightclub owners in the collapse.

During yesterday’s session on 27 April 2026, Judge Mejía ratified his decision to prohibit the testimony of Gregory Adames during this preliminary phase, ruling that such testimony belongs in a potential trial on the merits rather than the evidence-evaluation stage.

Nevertheless, Adames gave insights into what he said the owners knew about the vulnerabilities of the roof and actions that could have been taken in time to prevent the 236 deaths and 180 injured on 8 April 2025.

Adames spoke as a survivor. He said that both Antonio and Maribel Espaillat on several times had been notified of the issues. Even on the...

A judge in the Judicial Office of Permanent Attention Services in Santiago has ordered three months of preventive detention for seven men linked to the killing of garbage truck driver Deivy Carlos Abreu Quezada. The prosecutor department of the Attorney General Office, the Public Ministry has categorized the incident as a coordinated assault executed by a “criminal mob.”

Judge José Rafael de Asís Burgos issued the ruling for preventive custody after reviewing evidence presented by the Santiago Prosecutor’s Office. The defendants face charges of criminal association and murder, in violation of several articles of the Dominican Penal Code.

Details of the detentionThe court individuals to serve their pretrial detention in the Rafey (Santiago), La Isleta (Moca), and El Pinito (La Vega) correctional facilities are Adony Antonio Ureña Ventura, Andrés...

Not much is new in Haiti. The ongoing violent control of gangs continues.

It was revealed that a Belgian Air Force A400M military transport aircraft was fired upon during a flight conducted as part of a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in Haiti. The incident once again highlights the security risks on Hispaniola island.?The military transport aircraft was carrying approximately 80 soldiers from Santo Domingo to Port-au-Prince and was found to have bullet marks on its tail once it landed in Port-au-Prince. It is assessed that the aircraft was targeted before landing, and no crew injuries were reported. The incident was confirmed by the Belgian Ministry of Defense.

According to reports in the Belgian press, bullet marks were detected during a post-mission inspection on the aircraft, which flew from Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic...

Dominican national basketball team member, Karl-Anthony Towns (KAT), currently playing for the New York Knicks, has put up historic numbers during the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks.

The playoffs are currently in the first round with the Knicks-Hawks series tied at 2-2. In the 114-98 game on 25 April 2026, Towns became only the fourth player in New York Knicks history to record a playoff triple-double.

Series statistics & impactThrough the first four games against Atlanta, Towns has been the Knicks’ most consistent offensive threat:• Averages: 21.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game.• Efficiency: He is shooting an impressive 61% from two-point range and 50% from beyond the arc.• Highlights: He also had a standout 25-point performance in the Knicks’ Game 1 victory.

What’s next?The series returns to New York on Tuesday, 28 April 2026, for...

President Luis Abinader and Tourism Minister David Collado inaugurated the renovated Sosúa beachfront and a new commercial plaza for local vendors on 27 April 2026. The Puerto Plata projects are a significant effort to reorganize one of the North Coast’s most iconic tourism destinations. The plaza replaces informal structures with modern facilities designed to enhance the beach visitor experience.

The new plaza for vendors was executed with an investment exceeding RD$600 million by the Executing Committee of Infrastructure in Tourist Zones (Ceiztur), a division of the Ministry of Tourism. The initiative also focused on environmental recovery and the installation of essential services, such as modern lighting and drainage systems. Access roads, parking areas, and security measures were improved.

During the ceremony, representatives from the local vendors’ association presented President...

Tourism Minister David Collado officially inaugurated the Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange (DATE) 2026 held at the Bavaro Convention Center in Punta Cana on Wednesday, 22 April 2026, declaring that the Dominican Republic’s tourism sector has reached an unprecedented peak. Despite a volatile international landscape, Collado reported that all primary source markets are currently in “the black,” reflecting sustained statistical growth across the board.

“This edition of DATE finds the Dominican Republic in its best moment for tourism,” Collado stated, emphasizing the country’s readiness to scale operations further. “This is the time to continue betting on Dominican tourism.”

A strategic business hubDATE 2026 serves as the nation’s premier commercial platform for the industry. This year’s event featured around 200 companies representing 20 source markets, alongside 300 international buyers and 120...

Generous tax incentives, superb air connections, and available beach land is the formula that has resulted in the boom in hotel accommodations and second homes in the Punta Cana area in the east of the Dominican Republic. Nevertheless, during the DATE travel B2B event, several key participants warned success has come too fast. Some say, Punta Cana is now drowning in its own success.

Legendary Frank Rainieri, the man who turned a little beach cabana business into the largest destination in all the Caribbean, now complains of urban chaos and sprawl in Punta Cana. The tax incentives are the motivation that has led the drive for more and more hotel rooms and residential developments. Punta Cana is on its way to having 70,000 hotel rooms.

Roads for reasonable commutes or implementing land plan guidelines determining what should go where, seemingly have not been anyone’s priority and...

Living in Jarabacoa, the central agriculture area that is now all about residential mountain tourism, is easier with the opening of two leading supermarket chains this April 2026.

La Sirena and Nacional both opened their Jarabacoa branches last week. La Sirena opened at Av. Pedregal, sector Domingo Savio, Tel 809 472-4444 and El Nacional at Federico Basilis, Tel 809 241-7089

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The Metropolitan Bus Services Operator (OMSA) inaugurated on Sunday, 26 April 2026 the start of a new mass transit bus system in the country. While key routes in the past were allocated to privatized transport associations, in its second term the Abinader administration is investing heavily in a modernized system that starts with the comprehensive renovation of the 27 de Febrero Avenue corridor. During the launch, it was announced that the route would be expanded to reach Los Alcarrizos in northern Santo Domingo and will extend to connect all of Greater Santo Domingo.

To encourage adoption of the modernized system, OMSA is offering a 15-day grace period during which passengers can transfer between Santo Domingo Metro routes free of charge. Afterwards, the fares will be RD$35, the same as charged by the transport associations on their routes. But the OMSA routes are integrated with...

President Luis Abinader kicked off a series of ribbon-cutting ceremonies that included sports facilities and highways over the weekend. The first was the inauguration of the Malecon Deportivo in Santo Domingo, a 1.7 km-long RD$310 million investment designed for recreation along the western part of the George Washington Boulevard, the area known as the Malecon that skirts the Caribbean Sea. The President was accompanied by National District Mayor Carolina Mejia.

The President cited the need to maintain the facility because it had been built with “the people’s money” and therefore, it has to be well-kept. The Dominican leader spoke of the upcoming Paseo 30 de Mayo, another nearby sports and recreational facility that would be opened for use in the upcoming 25th Central American and Caribbean Games, scheduled for this summer.

On Friday and Saturday, President Abinader...

In March 2026, according to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, Gross Domestic Product grew at a year-on-year increase of 5.1%. This good news was supported by sectors such as construction, free zones, tourism. Within tourism, Hotels, Bars and Restaurants sector grew 11%, making it the leading service sub-sector.

According to the Central Bank, this is the highest number in the past eleven months. Construction saw a year-over-year increase of 8%, followed by free zone manufacturing at 7.1%, finances and insurance at 7.0%, and the service sector at 5.9%.

The government entity noted that the Dominican Republic received over 2.6 million tourist air arrivals in the first three months of the year, which is a 12.2% increase over 2025. The Central Bank cites 3.2 million total visitors (air arrivals and cruise visitors) for first quarter 2026 as a milestone.

In...

“Not all money is good money,” says the old saying. Yet, with gold prices at record highs, many are insisting this is the time to exploit gold in the mountain valleys of the Dominican Republic.

Mountain valley inhabitants, environmentalists, academia and priests have been protesting the government authorizations that could lead to the green light for gold mining operations in an area in San Juan de la Maguana where communities fear it will impact water sources.

The Dominican Academy of Science experts say that the project would affect water resources because the proposed mining site would be located 900 to 1,000 meters above sea level and above the confluence of the San Juan and La Guama rivers that discharge their waters into the Sabaneta Dam. The Academy of Sciences opposes any mining operation at 500 meters above sea level.

The venture...

Violent thunder and lightning roared across much of the North Coast and parts of the Cibao Valley late last week, and the Center for Emergency Operations (COE) issued all types of warnings for these provinces. Puerto Plata and Espaillat got most of the rains. Towns such as Guananico, Imbert, Altamira and others, reported falling trees and local flooding. There was important urban flooding in Santiago de los Caballeros.

Personnel from the Transportation Safety Agency (Digesett) reported failing roadways caused by rain runoff and flooding. In Gaspar Hernandez (Espaillat province), heavy, violent rains caused local flooding and small landslides In the northwestern corner of the Cibao region, parts of Valverde province, such as Jaibon and Laguna Salada, suffered heavy crop losses (plantains and bananas), as well as housing damage, due to the high winds.

Government assistance is expected to...

Just 112 days into 2026, and there have been 651 traffic fatalities. According to the Permanent Road Safety Watch of the National Institute of Transportation and Movement, in 2025 there were 2,205 traffic fatalities.

The legacy print media of the Dominican Republic does not report all of these tragic events. For example, according to the report in the Listin Diario, there were just 10 fatalities reported between February and April. And this included an accident on Tuesday, 21 April 2026 on the highway to San Cristobal (6 of November) that took three lives.

In addition, there were two accidents involving buses, that did not result in deaths, but certainly served as a cautionary tale. One such incident was a bus from the Viva Miches Hotel that went off the road at the famous Maria la Blanca curve, and the other occurred at the toll plaza at Guaraguao on the Northeast...

The Estrellas Orientales have officially named MLB legend Albert Pujols as their new president of Baseball Operations. The announcement, made via a press release from the San Pedro de Macoris-based club, confirms that Pujols has already assumed his new executive responsibilities.

Albert Pujols retired in 2022 following a 22-season MLB career with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Angels. His stats reveal 703 career home runs (4th all time), 2,218 RBIs, second all-time. He is a 11-time All Star MLB player.

While the Estrellas originally announced Pujols’ arrival in December, his specific role remained undisclosed until now. This appointment marks a significant transition into the front office for the future Hall of Famer, adding a new dimension to his post-playing career as he seemingly prepares for the eventual goal of managing a Major League Baseball (MLB) club.

A...

The Santiago Botanical Garden is hosting the 5th Cibao Orchid Festival from 23 to 26 April 2026, transforming its grounds into a living gallery under the thematic concept “Museum in Bloom.” Organized by the Cibao Orchidology Society, the event has become a premier fixture on the northern region’s ecological calendar, blending botanical science with floral art to promote the conservation of the species.

The festival center is the Vivian Saladín de Guzmán Orchidarium, where thousands of orchids are on display and available for purchase from a variety of national and international exhibitors. Beyond the visual exhibition, the four-day program features a robust educational agenda, including specialized workshops on cultivation, scientific conferences, and family-oriented activities designed to foster environmental stewardship.

In a significant move for the local scientific community...

The Ministry of Public Health (MSP) announced a 78% reduction in malaria cases across the country compared to the same period in 2025. This significant decline is attributed to intensified screening, early detection protocols, and targeted preventive treatments.

According to the latest Epidemiological Bulletin, the country recorded zero new cases of malaria during the 13th week of 2026. This brings the year-to-date total to 79 cases, a sharp contrast to the previous year’s figures.

The statistical shift is reflected in the disease’s incidence rate:2026 Incidence Rate: 2.86 per 100,000 inhabitants.2025 Incidence Rate: 12.88 per 100,000 inhabitants.

The MSP credits these results to strategic actions in high-risk focus areas, including reinforced epidemiological surveillance and active case-finding missions.

Dengue, leptospirosis, and other pathogensThe report also...

President Luis Abinader, accompanied by Vice President Raquel Peña and Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez, formally received the credentials of six new ambassadors to the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, 22 April 2026. The ceremony, held in the Ambassadors’ Room of the Presidential Palace, marked the official accreditation of diplomats representing Italy, Finland, New Zealand, San Marino, Sweden and Switzerland. Of the six, only Italy, Switzerland and San Marino are based in Santo Domingo.

Following the formal presentations, the President held brief private audiences with each envoy to discuss shared regional and economic interests.

The newly accredited diplomats bring extensive experience in migration, trade, and multilateral relations:Italy: Sergio Maffettone. A career diplomat and law graduate from the University of Naples, Maffettone entered...

A new report by the Dominican Initiative for Quality Education (IDEC) reveals a sobering reality that more than half of enrolled teenagers drop out of the nation’s public school system.

Analyzing a cohort of 162,000 students from the 2016-2017 and 2018-2019 academic cycles over an eight-year period, researchers found that approximately 52,000 students had been out of the classroom for more than two consecutive years, for a 52.9% dropout rate, as reported in Listin Diario.

The findings, presented to faculty at the Universidad Iberoamericana (Unibe), highlight that the crisis is most acute in urban areas and among specific demographics.

Demographic disparities and geographic hotspotsThe IDEC report underscores significant gaps in retention based on nationality and gender. The dropout rate for Haitian nationals stands at 49.7%, nearly 18 percentage points higher than the...

Following nearly five years of agonizing uncertainty for the family, the Public Ministry and the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif) have confirmed that skeletal remains discovered in a Sosúa villa belong to 22-year old Carli Franchesca Guzmán Roche. The missing person case has now been officially reclassified as a homicide.

Her grandmother, Paulina Gonzalez had filed a report of missing person with the Sosua police on 13 September 2021 when she was not able to contact her grand daughter since 5 September, the day the woman registered into the hotel. Guzman Roche had traveled to Sosua from her hometown in the municipality of Bani, in southcentral Peravia province.

At the time, the management of the hotel located at Calle Alejo Martinez in El Batey, Sosua had reported the woman had registered on 5 September in room #33 of the hotel. She did not check out...

Deivy Carlos Abreu Quezada / N Digital

The relatives of Deivy Carlos Abreu Quezada, a 40-year-old garbage truck driver, are publicly denouncing delays in the judicial process against the men accused of his killing. Despite the existence of video footage capturing the fatal incident in Santiago de los Caballeros, the victim’s family maintains that the prosecution has not moved with the necessary speed to ensure justice for the father of four.

While preliminary reports initially indicated the confrontation began after Abreu’s truck accidentally brushed against a motorcyclist, a more complex theory is now circulating among investigators and the public. Reports suggest that the group of motorcyclists involved may have been a gang of debt collectors (“cobradores”). The National Police is currently investigating this lead to determine if the attack was a spontaneous act of road rage...

A series of viral videos documenting large groups of motorcyclists performing stunts on major thoroughfares has ignited a firestorm of criticism regarding the perceived surrender of public space to lawlessness. Remarks by Amaury Mo for En Segundos underscore a growing sentiment that the Dominican Republic has effectively “lost the battle” against reckless operators who now openly defy the General Law of Mobility, Land Transport, Transit and Road Safety (Law 63-17).

He writes that organized “swarms” of motorcyclists in recent days have been filmed taking over entire lanes on elevated viaducts (elevados). These riders are increasingly engaging in “calibrando,” the practice of popping wheelies at high speeds—while traveling in dense packs.

The use of elevated bypasses by these groups is particularly galling to the commuting public, as these routes are designed for...

The Center for Emergency Operations (COE) and meteorologist Jean Suriel have issued urgent weather advisories as a pre-frontal trough combined with a cold front system brings heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and gusty winds to the Dominican Republic.

Drivers are urged to exercise extreme caution due to significantly reduced visibility during heavy downpours. Dangerous surf and high tides are forecast for the north coast from Samana to Montecristi.

The East Coast is spared from the bad weather alerts, nevertheless. The East Coast is the least impacted, but Indomet reports small boats should not operate due to turbulence in the Atlantic Ocean.

Updated alert levelsThe COE bulletin released at 10:30pm on Wednesday details the following provincial statuses:Red Alert (2 Provinces): Puerto Plata and Espaillat (on the north coast)Yellow Alert (10 Provinces): Santo Domingo (including...

Karl-Anthony Towns, World Cup 2023 / Diario Libre

The Virgilio Travieso Soto Palacio de los Deportes, known as the “Media Naranja,” is set to officially reopen its doors on 3 July 2026. The landmark event will feature a high-stakes matchup between the Dominican Republic and the United States as part of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Qualifiers. On 6 July, the DR will play Nicaragua in the same qualifiers at the same renovated venue.

This game carries significant weight following the Dominican Republic’s historic performance in Window 2 of the qualifiers. On 26 February 2026, the Dominican squad stunned the basketball world by defeating the United States 87–79 at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California.

In that historic victory, the Team DR’s fourth consecutive road win, Jassel Perez led with a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double, supported by veteran center Angel Delgado...

A year after the collapse of the Jet Set Club roof, the case remains in the instructional phase as parties debate which evidence will be admitted for a potential trial. Private plaintiffs are currently seeking to upgrade the legal classification to “homicide,” arguing that a technical report and testimony from former employee Gregorio Adames provide sufficient proof to justify the stricter charge.

During the 20 April 2026 hearing of the JetSet case, relatives of the late Eduardo Grullon and Johanna Rodriguez requested First Instruction Court of the National District Raymundo Mejia change the charge against siblings Antonio and Maribel Espaillat to voluntary homicide that would enable a harsher penalty. The prosecutors so far have charged the siblings with involuntary murder, a charge that carries a maximum of two years in jail.

Legal representatives for the family of Johanna...

Santo Domingo will host the first-ever International Performing Arts Festival (FESTAE 2026) this coming 15 to 19 May 2026. The event aims to establish a premier regional platform by uniting theater, music, and dance through a high-level program featuring national artists and international guests from Colombia, Argentina, Equatorial Guinea, and France.

The festival’s details were unveiled during a press conference led by festival director and veteran producer Fausto Rojas. Speaking at the Juan Lockward Theater Café within the Eduardo Brito National Theater, Rojas described the initiative as a “transcendental step” for the global projection of the Dominican creative scene.

“Dominican Republic is becoming the cultural heart of the Caribbean, positioning the country as a benchmark destination for the performing arts,” Rojas stated, emphasizing that the project is designed to...

The National District City Council (ADN) is set to inaugurate the Malecón Deportivo tomorrow, a 1.7-kilometer urban intervention designed to pivot the capital’s coastline from a high-speed transit artery into a premier destination for sports, recreation, and family life, Diario Libre reports.

Developed by the ADN in partnership with Right Construction, the project represents an investment of RD$333 million. Spanning approximately 90,000 square meters, the “mega-project” serves as the second phase of a broader coastal recovery initiative that has reclaimed 5.2 kilometers of the coastal boulevard over the last six years.

A hub for modern athleticsThe Malecón Deportivo is specifically engineered to meet the growing demand for diverse public sports facilities. Key installations include:• Soccer & basketball: A closed soccer pitch featuring artificial turf and night...

The Mayor’s Office of the National District (ADN) and Banco Popular Dominicano officially opened the Parque Sensorial Mirador Sur on 21 April 2026. The park area is a specialized recreational environment designed for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other sensory conditions. The space is specifically engineered to foster cognitive, emotional, and social development through sensory stimulation.

Located near Kilometer 0 and the Kinder Park, just meters from Anacaona Avenue, the 340 m2 facility was funded by RD$5 million from Banco Popular Dominicano.

The park serves as a benchmark for universal accessibility, featuring a perimeter metallic mesh fence for safety and specialized surfaces to accommodate all users. Key installations include:• Interactive learning: Panels featuring Braille and sign language instructions.• Tactile and auditory...

The Dominican Republic’s internal debt reached a milestone of US$16.61 billion during the first quarter of 2026. According to the latest public credit data, this figure represents a 7.22% increase compared to 2022 levels, Joel Suriel reports for N Digital.

This domestic debt is now 25.6% of the Non-Financial Public Sector (NFPS) debt, which cumulatively stands at 49% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). With the current exchange rate holding at RD$60.35 to the US dollar, the total internal debt translates to approximately RD$1.003 trillion (RD$1,002,751,460,000).

Four-year growth vs. GDP ratioOver the past four years, the country’s internal debt has expanded by US$1.12 billion, climbing from the US$15.5 billion recorded in 2022 to the current US$16.61 billion.

Despite this nominal increase in dollar terms, the internal debt’s weight relative to the total...

The current situation surrounding US tariff restitutions presents a complex challenge for the Dominican Republic. While a new US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) system has launched to return billions in “unconstitutional” tariffs, the political cost of claiming those funds has become a central issue for importers and trade partners.

The new system for requesting refunds of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump went into effect on Monday, 20 April 2026 in the United States, with expected refunds that could reach US$166 billion for US businesses. According to a court filing released on Tuesday, 15 April, US Customs and Border Protection reported that it has completed the initial phase of the refund system, called CAPE. The tool will allow for the consolidation of refunds, ensuring that importers receive a single electronic payment, with interest where applicable, instead of...

Miguel Martínez, general secretary of the Opción Democrática (OD) party, identifies citizen apathy and systemic inequality as the primary hurdles for emerging political organizations in the Dominican Republic. Elected in October 2024 through a direct vote by the members of the party, under a strict no-reelection policy, Martínez balances his role as a civil engineer with the “intense” responsibility of “motorizing” a party that operates without the vast resources of traditional political machineries.

The challenge of political antipathyMartínez argues that the greatest “silent adversary” is the deep-seated frustration of a populace that views all political parties as nests of corruption. To break this cycle of apathy, he advocates for consistent aligning political discourse with ethical practice to prove that politics can exist without clientelism. He...

More than 200 social and environmental organizations have formed a unified front to demand the immediate and permanent cancellation of all mining projects in the Cordillera Central, Cordillera Septentrional, and Bahoruco Oriental. During a press conference held at the Dominican Medical Association (CMD) headquarters, the coalition warned that concessions granted to foreign corporations (including GoldQuest, Unigold, and Belfond) threaten the nation’s water security, agricultural viability, and tourism industry.

The mobilization coincides with the 61st anniversary of the April 24 Revolution. Leaders of the movement issued a call for mass protests, rejecting government policies they claim force the poor, the working class, and the middle class to shoulder the burden of the global economic crisis and international conflicts while favoring national oligarchies and...