President Leonel Fernandez decided to heed the call by Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez to halt political campaigning during the holiday festivities. As a result he left thousands waiting in Monte Cristi, where four helicopters and 33 vehicles were awaiting his arrival. Among the vehicles was the black SUV with the 0-1 license plate. Also left waiting for the President were many candidates for office in the up-coming elections, who were waiting for a word with the chief executive as he toured Monte Cristi, Dajabon, Santiago Rodriguez and Mao. While Henry Castellanos, a candidate from Valverde, told El Caribe reporters that “everything is all set and we will continue to give out the food parcels in an organized fashion”, Diario Libre reported that the President’s absence was what led to the chaos surrounding the food parcels distribution, together with the fact that there were only 8,000 food boxes for a population of nearly 117,000. According to the report, not many people left Monte Cristi very happy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Leonel Fernandez decided to heed the call by Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez to halt political campaigning during the holiday festivities. As a result he left thousands waiting in Monte Cristi, where four helicopters and 33 vehicles were awaiting his arrival. Among the vehicles was the black SUV with the 0-1 license plate. … <\/p>\n