NewsWhore
03-28-2011, 03:30 PM
President Leonel Fernandez garnered public attention with the much publicized mega event organized by the ruling PLD party at the Palacio de los Deportes where he was expected to refer to his intentions or otherwise of running for President in 2012. As he has maintained all along, he was ambiguous in his comments.
The 2010 Constitution eliminated the ban on him running in 2016, but it immediately bans him from running in 2012. Nevertheless, government officials are openly spending hundreds of hours on promoting Fernandez's pre-candidacy to the 2012 presidential election.
During the event, President Fernandez said he was delegating to the party the petition of 2.2 million citizens that he should run for President in 2012. President Leonel Fernandez is also president of the PLD.
The movement in favor of his re-election is called the "Yes, Leonel." He described the support received as "plebiscitary democracy."
Abel Martinez, key organizer of the pro re-election event, had told the press the party was not inviting the Political Committee members who aspire to the presidential candidacy for the PLD. The 2.213 million votes are the same amount that won the PLD presidential elections in 2004 and 2008, as reported in the press. His supporters back the supposition that his candidacy guarantees the party will continue in power. He said that he is the guarantee that the signatures become votes for the party.
"I take this support that you have gathered for me and endorse it to the PLD so that the party may decide on the Dominican Republic's future," said President Fernandez when addressing his supporters at the Palacio de los Deportes.
Fernandez's former campaign manager, Francisco Javier Garcia has said that the party should hold its primary as soon as possible, but the primary, which had been scheduled for April, was postponed till 26 June. The PRD has already announced its candidate, former President Hipolito Mejia. Mejia defeated President Leonel Fernandez in his first bid for re-election in 2000.
Vice President Rafael Alburquerque, who is campaigning for the pre-candidacy, said the event shows that no one can win in the PLD if they do not have the support of the President, as reported in El Caribe.
In an editorial in Diario Libre today, Adriano Miguel Tejada writes that the event sought to restore the balance in the struggle for the presidential candidacy within the party, where one of the candidates leads. He explained that attempts at distraction from the Presidency have not been able to reduce that pre-candidate's support. Tejada comments, "After this event, one has to negotiate the candidacy with Leonel. It is a master play," he writes.
So far, the announced pre-candidates are Rafael Alburquerque, Francisco Dominguez Brito, Franklin Almeyda Rancier, Jose Tomas Perez, Radhames Segura and Danilo Medina. Polls show that Danilo Medina is in the lead, among these.
Hoy newspaper reports that abundant government resources were used for collecting the signatures nationwide, organizing the Sunday event and transporting thousands of people in air-conditioned buses with capacity for 56 and 64 passengers that came from around the country. Several official vehicles were seen onsite. Major security force was also used for the event.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)
The 2010 Constitution eliminated the ban on him running in 2016, but it immediately bans him from running in 2012. Nevertheless, government officials are openly spending hundreds of hours on promoting Fernandez's pre-candidacy to the 2012 presidential election.
During the event, President Fernandez said he was delegating to the party the petition of 2.2 million citizens that he should run for President in 2012. President Leonel Fernandez is also president of the PLD.
The movement in favor of his re-election is called the "Yes, Leonel." He described the support received as "plebiscitary democracy."
Abel Martinez, key organizer of the pro re-election event, had told the press the party was not inviting the Political Committee members who aspire to the presidential candidacy for the PLD. The 2.213 million votes are the same amount that won the PLD presidential elections in 2004 and 2008, as reported in the press. His supporters back the supposition that his candidacy guarantees the party will continue in power. He said that he is the guarantee that the signatures become votes for the party.
"I take this support that you have gathered for me and endorse it to the PLD so that the party may decide on the Dominican Republic's future," said President Fernandez when addressing his supporters at the Palacio de los Deportes.
Fernandez's former campaign manager, Francisco Javier Garcia has said that the party should hold its primary as soon as possible, but the primary, which had been scheduled for April, was postponed till 26 June. The PRD has already announced its candidate, former President Hipolito Mejia. Mejia defeated President Leonel Fernandez in his first bid for re-election in 2000.
Vice President Rafael Alburquerque, who is campaigning for the pre-candidacy, said the event shows that no one can win in the PLD if they do not have the support of the President, as reported in El Caribe.
In an editorial in Diario Libre today, Adriano Miguel Tejada writes that the event sought to restore the balance in the struggle for the presidential candidacy within the party, where one of the candidates leads. He explained that attempts at distraction from the Presidency have not been able to reduce that pre-candidate's support. Tejada comments, "After this event, one has to negotiate the candidacy with Leonel. It is a master play," he writes.
So far, the announced pre-candidates are Rafael Alburquerque, Francisco Dominguez Brito, Franklin Almeyda Rancier, Jose Tomas Perez, Radhames Segura and Danilo Medina. Polls show that Danilo Medina is in the lead, among these.
Hoy newspaper reports that abundant government resources were used for collecting the signatures nationwide, organizing the Sunday event and transporting thousands of people in air-conditioned buses with capacity for 56 and 64 passengers that came from around the country. Several official vehicles were seen onsite. Major security force was also used for the event.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)