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NewsWhore
07-13-2012, 03:20 PM
With Danilo Medina now to become President, the influence of certain families within the ruling party, the PLD has increased and become more entrenched. Without doubt, at the top of the list are the Pared Perez and Lizardo Mezquita families.

In the case of the Pared Perez family, Medina's right-hand man is Carlos Pared who says he will not be working in any administrative role as he will be working exclusively with the President. His brother, Reinaldo Pared Perez is the president of the Senate and secretary general of the PLD and is reported to be one of the group of legislators who will resign their positions to join the Judicial Consultancy Group of the Executive Committee or the Attorney General's office. Sigfrido, the third in the group, is the closest member of the military to the president-elect, and it is assumed that he will have a significant role.

Looking at the Lizardos, Simon is considered the second most trusted man by Medina and he is expected to have a key position in the next administration. Cristina is the vice president of the Senate and a member of the Transition Commission, as is her brother.

The influence of the Montas family in the three Leonel Fernandez governments has been consistent. The most influential of the four is Temistocles who has been head of the Government economic team over the last eight years. His brother Ruben has been at the Dominican Petroleum Refinery (Refidoma) and the National Energy Commission, Jose was mayor of San Cristobal and Gamalier was provincial governor and is a former deputy.

The German Mejia family is headed up by Alejandrina German, Minister for Women and one of the most influential ministers in the PLD; her husband, Jose Maria Sosa is the senator for San Pedro de Macoris and her brother in law Emigdio Sosa is the director of the Government Social Plan. Dr. Mariano German Mejia is president of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) and is Alejandrina's brother, as is Engineer Mariano German who is director of the National Institute of Drinking Water and Sewers (Inapa).

The Rojas Gomez family also has several members in powerful positions. Health Minister Bautista Rojas is the most prominent, despite the fact that sources close to Medina say that he has said he does not want to continue in that role. His brother Onofre has held senior positions in previous PLD governments, although he distanced himself from the party in the last elections. His cousin, Luis Rene Canaan, is the senator for Hermanas Mirabal province.

Alma Fernandez and her sister Luisa are high-ranking government officials, as are Euclides Gutierrez and his wife Flavia Garcia.

The Castillo Seman family has wielded political influence for decades, dating back to the first Balaguer administrations. Although only Marino Vinicio Castillo has held public office, his son Pelegrin is a deputy and Immigration Director Jose Ricardo Taveras is also a member of the family.

www.elcaribe.com.do/2012/07/12/las-familias-que-dominan-poder-pld (http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2012/07/12/las-familias-que-dominan-poder-pld)

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