In the News: the triumph of Luis Abinader in the Dominican Republic

Text by: Eliott Brachet

5 minutes

Publicity

The daily El Dia publishes jubilant images in front of Luis Abinader's campaign headquarters. His supporters exulted when their candidate, credited with 53% of the votes, took the floor, moved, alongside his vice-president Raquel Peña. In his speech, the future president appeared as "  the man of unity  " analyzes El Caribe . "  The president you have elected will not be the president of a particular group, but of all Dominicans, without distinction,  " he exclaimed. The crowd took up the campaign slogans: "  Change is coming!"  "And"  They are finally gone! »In reference to the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) came second with 37% of the vote.

Dominican newspapers insist on the end of the political hegemony of the PLD. Led by Gonzalo Castillo, the party loses not only the presidential election but also its majority in the Senate, after twenty-two years of reign notes Listín Diario . If the young Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) created in 2014 and led by Luis Abinader, has largely triumphed at the polls, the newspaper Listín Diario notes that in the poorest regions, mainly in the south of the country, the PLD of the former president Danilo Medina retained his seats in the Senate. 

For the daily La Información , these elections took place almost without a hitch, in a "  great civic spirit  ". However, a man was shot dead Sunday during the poll. Despite everything, "  the democratic process in the Dominican Republic is progressing with great strides  " welcomes the newspaper El Diario Libre. But the new representative must be "up  to the expectations of citizens  ", especially in the fight against corruption, urges an editorial writer. Finally, El Diario Libre also recalls the many challenges that await Luis Abinader: first of all, fighting the pandemic and restructuring an economy weakened by the health crisis.

In Bolivia, the Minister of Health tested positive for Covid-19

Eidy Roca has been contaminated with coronavirus. La Razón recalls that it is the third minister of the government of Jeanine Áñez who is contaminated by the coronavirus after the Minister of Education and that of Hydrocarbons. The Minister of Health spoke on Sunday from her home where she was placed in quarantine. She assures that the decision to put Bolivia under house arrest for two months was an "  effort difficult to accept for the population  " but which "  really helped stem the spread of the virus  ". The newspaper Los Tiempos recounts the concern of the Bolivians as the country approaches 40,000 cases of contamination and deplores around 1,500 deaths. According to the daily, the situation is particularly worrying in the state of Cochabamba where many voices demand the resignation of the Governor, criticizing her handling of the crisis.

Suspicions of embezzlement in Honduras against the backdrop of the fight against Covid-19

Out of 9 million inhabitants, the country officially has more than 22,000 coronavirus patients, La Prensa recalls , including at least 600 deaths. Only 1,300 tests are carried out every day, deplores the daily. There is also a lot of suspicion of embezzlement concerning the purchase of equipment abroad. The government paid $ 47 million for seven field hospitals with a capacity of 400 beds that were not delivered. La Prensa conducted the investigation. We learn that some mobile hospitals, intended to fight the pandemic, were bought under questionable conditions from American or Turkish companies. In addition, the protective equipment arrived in droppings, leaving the caregivers helpless in the face of contagion.

In Peru, political battle between the president and the Parliament

Peru in the midst of a “  political pandemic  ”, headlines the daily La República. On Friday, Congress did not agree to pass a law abolishing parliamentary immunity and aimed at severely punishing corruption cases. President Martín Vizcarra reacted on Saturday, taking parliamentarians by surprise: he promised to hold a referendum on the issue at the same time as the legislative elections of 2021. But the Congress "  counter-attacked  " immediately, explains El Comercio, paving the way for the amendment of the Constitution. If their proposal is adopted, immunity will be lifted not only for parliamentarians, but also for all senior officials, including the President of the Republic. Martín Vizcarra could now be prosecuted in full office. Lima is the scene of a "  clash of powers  ", continues La República. Between the Peruvian executive and the legislative power, the showdown is launched to reform political life.

Guatemala, a new drug trafficking hub

In the American press this Monday, there is also a Washington Post investigation into the trace of drug traffickers in the heart of the Guatemalan jungle. Journalists went to Laguna del Tigre National Park, following Honduran army patrols. The Washington Post describes the aerial ballet of private jets, loaded with hundreds of pounds of cocaine. These planes and their cargoes (sometimes reaching 100 million dollars), often land in the middle of the night on secret tracks, guided by drug traffickers using drones. The daily explains that "  the permanent cat and mouse game  " between the American authorities and the drug lords leads to the relocation of their bases for the export of drugs. After Mexico and Honduras, it is now Guatemala that has become one of the new hubs for cocaine trafficking in Central America. "  No less than 90% of the cocaine consumed in the United States now transits through the Guatemalan jungle,  " said the newspaper.

Shops reopen in São Paulo, Brazil

As the coronavirus pandemic strikes Brazil severely, bars, restaurants, sports halls and even barbers open this Monday in São Paulo, tells us Folha de S. Paulo . The daily expresses its concern as the country has crossed the 1.6 million mark and 65,000 people have died from Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.

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