NewsWhore
12-20-2006, 04:30 PM
Paulo Herrera Maluf, spokesman for civil society group Participacion Ciudadana, warns that an intensification of the apparent power struggle between President Leonel Fernandez and his former Presidency Minister Danilo Medina for the PLD 2008 presidential nomination would prove very costly for the country. "These contenders will be strongly tempted to fund their aspirations using state resources. Are there conditions in the country so that limits of time and campaign spending can be imposed on the pre-candidates of all party colors?" That remains to be seen, he comments. "What is most likely is that we will witness a long, costly, illegal and incorrect pre-campaign," he forecasts.
Herrera says that the fact that the PLD won a majority in Congress in the 2006 election makes matters even worse. "The struggle between these two gladiators will not only take place in the central government, or in the PLD internal organizations," he writes in Hoy newspaper. "The true ring will be the National Congress," he states, mentioning that the appointment of the Central Electoral board members was the first round in the fight, and was won by Danilo Medina this time around, with the appointment of incumbent judge Roberto Rosario, against President Leonel Fernandez's criteria and statements.
He wonders what will happen when the constitutional reform reaches Congress, which is slanted in favor of Danilo Medina. He mentions the irony that the checks to the President will now come from within his own party.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)
Herrera says that the fact that the PLD won a majority in Congress in the 2006 election makes matters even worse. "The struggle between these two gladiators will not only take place in the central government, or in the PLD internal organizations," he writes in Hoy newspaper. "The true ring will be the National Congress," he states, mentioning that the appointment of the Central Electoral board members was the first round in the fight, and was won by Danilo Medina this time around, with the appointment of incumbent judge Roberto Rosario, against President Leonel Fernandez's criteria and statements.
He wonders what will happen when the constitutional reform reaches Congress, which is slanted in favor of Danilo Medina. He mentions the irony that the checks to the President will now come from within his own party.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)