NewsWhore
11-07-2011, 02:50 PM
In her editorial column for Diario Libre, Ines Aizpun ponders the possibility of the Vice President office becoming known as the Office of the Second Lady during a possible Danilo Medina-Margarita Cedeno government. At present, the First Lady's Office enjoys one of the most generous budgets of any department in government, with RD$660 million in 2011. Under the present incumbent, Rafael Alburquerque, the Vice President's office is in charge of the welfare programs known as Solidaridad.
Aizpun comments that the way the Office of the First Lady is structured is a serious democratic anomaly. "It responds to the vision of the PLD government that has institutionalized public charity as an expensive way of attracting votes. "
"If Danilo Medina wins the Presidency... will he be able to, will he want to dismantle this machinery? Difficult, the politician is moved by power and will rarely let go of territory that has been gained. It is more feasible to think of the Vice President of the Republic's function being transformed to fit that of Margarita de Fernandez and it would become the Despacho de la Segunda Dama (the Second's Lady Office). It would also handle all the Solidarity funds and cards currently managed by Vice President Alburquerque.
"That, without taking into account the fact that the current First Lady is a candidate who handles a hefty amount of public funds and cannot resign her position to engage in campaigning, as would be obligatory in a democracy that respected the institutions," concludes Aizpun in the editorial.
First Lady Margarita Cedeno married Leonel Fernandez in a discreet ceremony on 10 February 2003. Margarita Cedeno had worked closely with Fernandez as his deputy legal advisor during his first term 1996-2000. She is a graduate in law from the UASD in 1987 with a masters degree in business and economic law from the PUCMM in 1995. She also has a masters in political science for development from the Universidad de Salamanca (Spain). Both Fernandez and Cedeno each have two children from previous marriages, and one child together.
www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=311804&l=1 (http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=311804&l=1)
www.elcaribe.com.do/2011/11/04/retrato-ascenso-politico (http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2011/11/04/retrato-ascenso-politico)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#3)
Aizpun comments that the way the Office of the First Lady is structured is a serious democratic anomaly. "It responds to the vision of the PLD government that has institutionalized public charity as an expensive way of attracting votes. "
"If Danilo Medina wins the Presidency... will he be able to, will he want to dismantle this machinery? Difficult, the politician is moved by power and will rarely let go of territory that has been gained. It is more feasible to think of the Vice President of the Republic's function being transformed to fit that of Margarita de Fernandez and it would become the Despacho de la Segunda Dama (the Second's Lady Office). It would also handle all the Solidarity funds and cards currently managed by Vice President Alburquerque.
"That, without taking into account the fact that the current First Lady is a candidate who handles a hefty amount of public funds and cannot resign her position to engage in campaigning, as would be obligatory in a democracy that respected the institutions," concludes Aizpun in the editorial.
First Lady Margarita Cedeno married Leonel Fernandez in a discreet ceremony on 10 February 2003. Margarita Cedeno had worked closely with Fernandez as his deputy legal advisor during his first term 1996-2000. She is a graduate in law from the UASD in 1987 with a masters degree in business and economic law from the PUCMM in 1995. She also has a masters in political science for development from the Universidad de Salamanca (Spain). Both Fernandez and Cedeno each have two children from previous marriages, and one child together.
www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=311804&l=1 (http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=311804&l=1)
www.elcaribe.com.do/2011/11/04/retrato-ascenso-politico (http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2011/11/04/retrato-ascenso-politico)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#3)