24 parties in May elections

[NewsWhore]

Twenty four parties will be represented at next May's Presidential elections, but there will only be voting for six candidates: Leonel Fernandez, Amable Aristy, Miguel Vargas, Eduardo Estrella, Pedro de Jesus Candelier and Trajano Santana. Few of the smaller parties have strong enough candidates to go it alone, and so they ally themselves with larger parties to have a presence in the elections. Current President, Leonel Fernandez has forged alliances with at least half of the 22 smaller parties in the run-up to the elections, in large part thanks to a policy of broadening his PLD party's electoral base. Eduardo Estrella heads a coalition of parties as he makes his second bid for the presidency. Vargas, who has never been a presidential candidate, once tried to become the mayor of Santo Domingo. Amable Aristy has been elected to many different offices, but this is his first try for the presidency. His party is alone in the elections, since some of the former allies have gone over to Eduardo Estrella's Fourth Way or to the PLD. Candelier served twice as National Police chief, but had never entered into politics up till now. His party, the Popular Alliance Party (PAP), had to struggle in order to get official Central Electoral Board recognition. Trajano Santana is trying to gain the presidency for the second time, and his tiny Independent Revolutionary Party (PRI) does not have any allies.

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