The political parties programmed big meetings for the weekend

As the day of the elections approaches, the parties redouble their political activities

This Friday they carried out mass meetings.

Leonel Fernández in San Pedro Macorís, Miguel Vargas Maldonado in the Capital, in Las Terrenas, Sánchez and Samaná, and Amable Aristy Castro in San Cristóbal.

For this Saturday and Sunday, the candidates and other speakers of the electoral process have planned other mobilizations.

Miguel Vargas Maldonado

The presidential candidate Miguel Vargas will carry out this weekend the last provincial caravans prior to the elections of which a walk caravan this Saturday in San Pedro de Macorís, a procession in the central polygon of the Distrito Nacional and on Sunday a regional concentration in the Cibao.

Alfredo Pacheco, director political of the campaign team the PRD presidential candidate informed that Vargas moved crowd this Friday while directing caravans in Las Terrenas, Sánchez and Samaná.

Leonel Fernández

This Saturday at 10 am is programmed the swearing of the « Drivers Movement with Leonel », event coordinated by Alfredo Puliniario (Cambita). The activity will take place in the street Emilio Jiménez Hijo # 58, in Los Frailes Segundo. At 04 pm the Candidate of the PLD will head the « Meeting of the Triumph of the Area of Cibao » , in Santiago.

Amable Aristy Castro

The national coordinator of campaign Ramón Rogelio Genao informed that this Saturday will especially take place a « Morning Government » for the birthday of Aristy which will celebrate his sixty years.

Al Momento, 10.05.08

The flow of foreign tourists upwards

315.721 tourists in April

The arrival of foreign tourists in Dominican Republic increased again in April, this time by 2.54% compared to April 2007, informed this Monday the Secretary of Tourism, Felix Jiménez.

He said that during this period, 315.721 tourists entered in the country, while in April of the previous year this figure was of 307.914.

In the same way, during the first quarter of this year, 1, 430.034 foreign travellers arrived to Dominican Republic, i.e. 6.73% more than for the period January-April 2007, with 1, 339.836 according to figures’ of the Central Bank.

The countries which the most increased their flows of passengers to the DR during these four months are Canada and United States with 11% and 7.13%, respectively.

We also recorded notable increases from Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, France and from Russia, with an extraordinary growth of 60.4%.

From South America, more tourists coming from Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia also arrived in the country.

However, the arrival of Dominican residents abroad had a negative growth, like result of the economic crisis in the United States.

Canada remains the market with the greatest growth insofar as during these last four months, we already received 398.023 Canadians, in comparison to 358.638 of the first quarter of the last year.

The airports of Punta Cana, Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata also recorded positive growths in their passengers as well in April as since January, added the secretary of Tourism.

Al Momento, 13.05.08

Elections 2008

Final Bulletin of the JCE

The Central Electoral Board emitted its Final Bulletin of the computed electoral colleges, Leonel Fernandez and the Party of the Dominican Liberation counts with 53,83% while reaching 2.199.734 votes.

The Dominican Revolutionary Party and its candidate Miguel Vargas Maldonado have 40,45%, when obtaining 1,654,066 votes.

Amable Aristy Castro has 4,59 %, with 187.645 computed votes.
The Revolutionary Social Democrat Party and its candidate Eduardo Estrella and allies, has 19.309 votes, representing 0,47 %, the Independent Revolutionary Party - PRI -, and its candidate Trajano Santana, obtained 1.533 votes, equivalent to 0,04 %.

The Independence Unit and Change Movement, (Miuca), headed by Guillermo Moreno has 18.136 votes for a 0.44%; The Alianza Popular Party (PAP), and Pedro de Jesús Candelier obtained 6.118 votes, for a 0,15 %.

With a register of five million 764 thousand 387, four million 113 thousand 644 votes emitted for a 71,36 percent, 27 thousand 103 null votes and four million 86 thousand 541 valid votes (99.34%), which reflects an abstention from near a 29 percent.

El Nuevo Diario, 17.05.08 at 7:17pm

Declarations of Leonel Fernández

Reelected President talked to the people

In front of thousands of his supporters gathered together in the national headquarters of his Party, the Dominican Liberation Party, Leonel Fernandez congratulated the Dominican people for the exemplary behavior during the civic consultation of Friday and also the Central Electoral Board for having organized an electoral process without errors.

President Leonel Fernandez, re-elected in the elections of this Friday, said that the people decided in the ballot boxes to continue with the progress, the stability and the modernism.

Fernandez said that it was a great triumph due to the effort and to the work of the Party of Dominican Liberation (PLD), meanwhile he thanked the voters for their civic and exemplary behavior during the course of this electoral campaign in these elections.

He congratulated the PLD, the allied parties and the support movements to his candidacy as well as his wife Margarita Cedeño de Fernández.

He also congratulated the Central Electoral Board and the Dominicans for the support given in these four years of government.

This confidence renewed today is to continue by the way of stability, growth, progress and well-being of the Dominicans, he indicated.

He emphasized that this triumph in the first round means that he does not lose a minute nor a second to begin working for the consolidation of the stability and the economic growth.

Leonel Fernandez said that if there is somebody he feels proud of, is his companion Professor Juan Bosch, and he also dedicated his triumph to the deceased leader Quilvio Cabrera, who died during the acts of the political campaign.

He said he will initiate a new government from August 16 because the people decided to continue with the progress and the well-being, and that this decision has been the expression of the will of the Dominicans in the ballot boxes in a democratic, free and transparent way giving an unquestionable legitimacy.

He finalized his speech in the National House with his habitual slogan E Pa Lante que Vamos.

CNN Interview

Doctor Leonel Fernandez defined himself as a leader of the century 21 and a realistic President of the today world in an interview with CNN.

He indicated that the unification of all the sectors of the Dominican Republic is necessary to allow the progress of the country.

The campaign is terminated, we are no longer in elections; the parties and the country must come back to the unification and to thing like a nation in order to face the coming challenges, he said.

Interviewed by the journalist Claudia Palacios, reporter of CNN, Fernandez also said that he is an executive chief neither from the right nor from the left.

He said that the acceptance of his candidacy from the supporters of allied parties and opposition responds to a combination between the candidate and the partisan organization.

Elecciones Dominicanas and Al Momento, 19.05.08

PRD went up with 10 points compared to the elections of 2004

Miguel Vargas recognizes the defeat

The candidacy of Miguel Vargas, of the Partido Revolucionario Dominicano (PRD), obtained a rise to 40.48.6% in the presidential elections of last Friday in comparison to the 30,6% reached in the 2004 elections.

This was obtained although the PRD participated in these elections with only three small allied parties that brought 76.655 votes, the 1,92% of the total.

In the 2004, when the PRD re presented President Hipólito Mejía, it participated in the elections with five allied parties, that brought 107.528, the 2,98% of the general voting.

In the elections of the past Friday, the PRD had allies as the Alternative Democratic Movement (MODA), the Democratic Social Alliance and the Green Party, Unidad Democrática (PUVD).

In addition, hundreds of support movements were added, that did not appear in the ballot papers because they were not made official. Between the most outstanding they were the Movement in Line and the Rebellious Movement.

Other important supports were coordinated by the Sector Externo Victoria Electoral (SEVE) headed by Doctor Jose Joaquin Puello, who was companion of ballot paper of Vargas. Also the National Commando of Crecimiento stood out (CNC), under the responsibility of Senator Jesus Vásquez Martinez.

Miguel Vargas declarations

During a press conference in the premises of his campaign commando, on Friday 16, Miguel Vargas said that he is a democrat who respects the Constitution and the laws and that he welcomes the electoral results.

I accept and I recognize the results of these elections, although these results reflect in a significant way the charge of the most shamelessly use of the resources of the State to impose a re-election,he expressed.

In the press conference, Vargas Maldonado did not answer the questions of the journalists. He just read a document in which, in addition, he congratulates the Dominican people for the order and the discipline demonstrated during this electoral process.

Al Momento, 19.05.08

PRSC faces dull participation in the elections

The Reformist Party enters in a questioning process

After its dull participation in the elections, in which it was in a distant third place, the Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC), seems to have entered in a questioning process.

Yesterday, a group of leaders raised a re launching of this political organization with a new leadership. In parallel, the ex--leader of the oganization, Humberto Salazar, asked for the resignation of Federico Antún Batlle and Victor Gómez Casanova, President and General Secretary General of the party, respectively.
Deputy Ito Bisonó acted as spokesman of the group that asks for a new leadership. He proposed a debate with all the leaders so that the present authorities can stop.

The legislator ensured that the message given by the voters to the Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC), in the past elections, in which it obtained 4,59 percent of the votes, evidences that the organization goes to the extinction way.

Enough party without ideological content and solely mercantilists aims; enough party full of leaders and more and more empty of voters and partisan young people. Enough party more interested in the well-being of its leaders that in a long-term vision for our country, he expressed.

Minority party

The Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC), led by Joaquin Balaguer and which obtained six triumphs in the electoral votes of Dominican Republic is not anymore from Friday, a political organization of the majority ones.

The elections in which Leonel Fernandez won with more than two million votes, placed a minority sticker to the PRSC, that only obtained 4,59% of the votes.

The PRSC obtained 187.645 votes in distant a third place, his worst performance from its foundation.

According to the results of the elections, the Dominican political system is polarized between the Dominican Liberation (PLD) and the Dominican Revolutionary (PRD) parties.

Al Momento, 19.05.08

Dominican agents seize 252 kilos of cocaine amid shootout near Samana

Pure cocaine

The National Drugs Control Agency (DNCD) amid a shootout seized 252 kilos of pure cocaine, distributed in 8 bundles worth millions, airdropped from an aircraft in a rural community near Samaná (northeast), the antinarcotics entity said Monday morning.

The United States Enforcement Administration (DEA) assisted in the operation with logistical support and equipment, said DNCD president Rafael Ramirez, who added that Alexis Rafael Campos Rodriguez was detained in the area of the airdrop.

He said the airplane that brought the drug was detected in latitude 18-04-00 north and longitude 69-21-00 west, near the town Villa Rivas.
We know they are, so that we are pursuing to arrest them and put them at the disposal of the Justice Ministry, the official said.

Ramirez said raids were conducted Sunday and Monday in different places, including Samaná and San Francisco de Macorís, to get to the people behind this case.

He added the 240 packages had logos of a seahorse, a kangaroo, an Indian, and a royal palm and with characteristics of cocaine from South America.

Dominican Today, 21.05.08

The Public ministry of Samaná dismantles a Mafia

« La oficina de la doctora »

SAMANÁ. -The office of the Prosecutor of this legal sector announced the dismantling of a Mafia which was devoted to expropriate buildings belonging to foreign citizens and informed of the appearance in front of the justice of the people implied in these actions.

The band, known under the name of « la oficina de la doctora » was composed by foreigners and Dominicans, who used « legal » procedures consisting in requests without base which were notified in own hand by the employees of the applicant himself and even « in own hand » by people non resident in the country and thus « la oficina de la doctora » obtained that the presumed requester ones can never be aware of these activities, and that consequently cannot defend themselves.

In this manner, lucrative sentences were set up and used then to seize buildings of foreigners non-resident in the country.

The prosecutor of Samaná, the magistrate Augustina Castillo, explained that the action of the Public ministry is based on documented evidence and legal expertises which are on the file.

These facts are qualified as criminal association, conspiracy in public writing and use of false documents.

A preliminary audience will take place on May 30.

Hoy Digital, by Francisco Calderón, le 27.05.08

The company American Eagle reduces its flights to Samaná

Reorganization

The company American Eagle announced that it will suspend its flights from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Samaná and to Aruba, but that these two destinations will be served by American Eagle from Miami, city where there is a great presence of Dominicans and Latino-Americans.

American Eagle informed that it will reduce also the number of its flights from San Juan, Puerto Ricoto other cities.

The suspension of these flights is following a process of reorganization.

Diario Libre, 28.05.08

Highway links Dominican north and coasts opens Sunday

Santo Domingo-Samaná highway

The demand by motorists to use the new Santo Domingo-Samaná highway prompted its opening to the public as of next Sunday by its builders, who said the few details still lacking don’t hinder transit.

The 106 kilometer-long road would save time and money for motorists who according to estimates, will save as much as 700 pesos on fuel in each trip, which will take around an hour-and-a-half, compared with the more than four hours it takes through San Francisco, of about 220 kilometers.

The highway’s three toll plazas are on the Las Americas interchange, and in the villages El Naranjal and Guaraguao, where for each section the toll is 650 pesos for buses; 350 for light vehicles; and 860 pesos for trucks.

Construction of the road, also known as the Santo Domingo-Cruce de Molinillos highway, began in February, 2006, at a cost of US $150 million, of which the government disbursed US $30 million.

Dominican Today, 29.05.08