Dominican Republic: opposition candidate wins presidential election

Text by: RFI Follow

About 7.5 million Dominicans were called to vote on Sunday to elect their president as well as their vice-president and the two houses of parliament. The main opponents of opposition candidate Luis Abinader recognized his victory in the presidential election in the first round.

Publicity

With our correspondent in Santo Domingo, Jean-Michel Caroit

Luis Abinader, the center-left candidate for the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) came largely ahead of Sunday's presidential election . According to preliminary results announced by the Central Election Commission (JCE), this 52-year-old economist has more than 53% of the vote. These main rivals recognized his victory. Gonzalo Castillo, the dolphin of outgoing president Danilo Medina and candidate of the ruling party (PLD) for 16 years now, is far behind with 36% of the vote.

Despite the coronavirus that hit the Dominican Republic hard, voters turned out in large numbers. The vast majority complied with health rules: wearing a mask, hand disinfection and identity documents, social distancing. Only one serious incident was recorded which made a death by bullet in the district Simón Bolívar in the capital.

A sanction vote

Despite the strong growth in the Dominican Republic in recent years, voters have overwhelmingly sanctioned the ruling party, whose image has been tarnished by a series of corruption scandals. The task of the new president will not be easy, the main tourism pillar of the Dominican economy has collapsed, victim of the pandemic.

►Read also: Presidential and legislative elections in the Dominican Republic this Sunday

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Presidential and legislative elections in the Dominican Republic this Sunday