According to the results of the Greenberg-Diario Libre polls, although 64% of the population wants a change, President Leonel Fernandez still enjoys high levels of approval. Most Dominicans – 60% – approve the work the President has done. This support transcends Fernandez’s political base: even among members of the PRD rank and file, nearly one third approve his job as President.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, the current political climate is much more hostile than in the 2008 elections, in which Fernandez was re-elected. Now, a majority – 55% – believes that the Dominican Republic is going in the wrong direction, while less than a third sees things on the right track. The increase in crime is on the minds of Dominicans with 51% pointing to crime as one of their two main worries, far above the 38% in 2008. The economic worries are also more acute: 38% are worried about job losses and 26% about the cost of living. Therefore President Fernandez could be overestimating his positive evaluation of the country, particularly on the economic situation. Despite his high approval ratings, nearly 6 out of every 10 Dominicans want to go in a different direction than Fernandez is taking the country, and by a margin of 5% (49% to 44%), the voters are more inclined to say that their personal finances are worse now than four years ago.<\/p>\n
“These are incredibly close elections, with little space separating the candidates,” said Ana Iparraguirre, the vice-president of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, who headed the poll. <\/p>\n
The newspaper reported earlier that the poll by Washington, D.C.-based Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research from 28 February to 3 March of 1,004 Dominicans eligible to vote, shows a statistical tie between leading candidates Danilo Medina of the ruling PLD and former President Hipolito Mejia of the PRD.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
According to the results of the Greenberg-Diario Libre polls, although 64% of the population wants a change, President Leonel Fernandez still enjoys high levels of approval. Most Dominicans – 60% – approve the work the President has done. This support transcends Fernandez’s political base: even among members of the PRD rank and file, nearly one … <\/p>\n