NewsWhore
07-14-2010, 02:40 PM
Whoever advised Miguel Vargas to make a pact with President Fernandez on constitutional reform should be discharged from the central command, writes political analyst Rosario Espinal in Hoy today. "They figured a win and they harvested defeat. Even in a course of elementary politics they would have learned that on the road to reach power one does not open for free to one's opponents," she says. She goes on to say Miguel Vargas was lead to believe that the pact with Leonel Fernandez was the magic that would strengthen his leadership in the PRD, given the ever-present threat of the PRD politicians. At the time 90+% backed him for presidential candidate in 2008 and president of the party in 2009.
"It was evident that if the PRD did not substantially move ahead in the past election of 16 May, Vargas's leadership would be questioned by others who aspire," she writes. "Given the outcome, there is no recognizable authority in the PRD, the party management bodies do not work well, and the pre-candidates are all raising their campaign tents for the presidential campaign without arbiters or traffic signals," she says. She goes on to clarify that being PRD president is now a problem for Miguel Vargas because he has to be arbiter while he needs to promote his political project. Mission impossible.
This is not comparable to President Leonel Fernandez being President and President of his party, she said. In contrast with Vargas, Fernandez was able to strengthen his leadership. Espinal says that Miguel Vargas has not been President of the Republic and took over control of the PRD at a time of strong political party crisis due to the devastating defeat of 2004. In the six years that Vargas has been the central figure of the party, the PRD has lost the elections of 2006, 2008 and 2010. He is not the only cause, but these events have occurred under his mandate.
"Figuring that when the people would forget the 2000-2004 experience, Vargas would benefit from the popular vote was wrong. As of now, others who aspire, instead of disappearing are gaining strength, especially Hipolito Mejia, to whom Miguel Vargas delivered the big prize with the constitutional reform. "Not only that, he ordered all PRD legislators to vote for the constitutional reform, opening doors for President Fernandez. Nevertheless, when proclaiming the new Constitution, Fernandez didn't even have the courtesy to mention Vargas who was in the hall.
www.hoy.com.do/opiniones/2010/7/13/333814/Miguel-Vargas-entre-tigres-y-el-leon (http://www.hoy.com.do/opiniones/2010/7/13/333814/Miguel-Vargas-entre-tigres-y-el-leon)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)
"It was evident that if the PRD did not substantially move ahead in the past election of 16 May, Vargas's leadership would be questioned by others who aspire," she writes. "Given the outcome, there is no recognizable authority in the PRD, the party management bodies do not work well, and the pre-candidates are all raising their campaign tents for the presidential campaign without arbiters or traffic signals," she says. She goes on to clarify that being PRD president is now a problem for Miguel Vargas because he has to be arbiter while he needs to promote his political project. Mission impossible.
This is not comparable to President Leonel Fernandez being President and President of his party, she said. In contrast with Vargas, Fernandez was able to strengthen his leadership. Espinal says that Miguel Vargas has not been President of the Republic and took over control of the PRD at a time of strong political party crisis due to the devastating defeat of 2004. In the six years that Vargas has been the central figure of the party, the PRD has lost the elections of 2006, 2008 and 2010. He is not the only cause, but these events have occurred under his mandate.
"Figuring that when the people would forget the 2000-2004 experience, Vargas would benefit from the popular vote was wrong. As of now, others who aspire, instead of disappearing are gaining strength, especially Hipolito Mejia, to whom Miguel Vargas delivered the big prize with the constitutional reform. "Not only that, he ordered all PRD legislators to vote for the constitutional reform, opening doors for President Fernandez. Nevertheless, when proclaiming the new Constitution, Fernandez didn't even have the courtesy to mention Vargas who was in the hall.
www.hoy.com.do/opiniones/2010/7/13/333814/Miguel-Vargas-entre-tigres-y-el-leon (http://www.hoy.com.do/opiniones/2010/7/13/333814/Miguel-Vargas-entre-tigres-y-el-leon)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)