After Twenty Years
Photograph of Dominican President-elect Luis Abinader and Vice-President-elect Raquel Pena at a victory celebration in Santo Domingo. Photo courtesy of Francesco Spotorno of the European Pressphoto Agency.
On 5 July, the Dominican Republic held elections to choose its President, Vice-President, 32-member Senate, and 190-member House of Deputies.
Opposition candidate Luis Abinader and the centre to centre-left Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) declared an overwhelming victory in the poll, having swept the three-way presidential contest with 52.5 per cent of the vote and taking a majority in both legislative houses.
Gonzalo Castillo, backed by the ruling centrist Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) and incumbent president Danilo Medina, came in second place 37.5 per cent of the popular vote.
Mr Medina, who failed to get approval for constitutional changes, extending executive terms, was unable to run for a third term in office, according to Al Jazeera.
The election was originally scheduled to take place in May but was pushed back due to COVID-19 and public health concerns. Despite rising infection rates in the region, the government proceeded with the poll.
Constitutional experts argued that any additional postponement would have required a change to the Dominican constitution, a potentially long and drawn-out process.
This year saw noticeably lower turnout, near 55 per cent, down from almost 70 per cent in 2016.
These elections were in stark contrast to local elections in February, which were cancelled mid-day due to technology concerns (a re-run in March saw better results).
The PLD has ruled the country for nearly 20 years, giving this year’s election particular importance to opposition leaders.
Mr Abinader must now govern a country characterised by corruption, infighting, and business-friendly policies. Most of the major political parties and leading figures in the Dominican Republic are centrist and pro-business minded.
The unpopular incumbent president, Mr Medina, has faced criticism for his attempts for constitutional change, a graft scandal concerning a Brazilian construction firm, and its reputation for systemic corruption. However, his administration did see a 22 per cent drop in crime rate, significant rises in educational spending, a 20 per cent drop in the poverty rate, and a fast-growing population, according to The Economist.
Mr Abinader, who studied in the United States, is a former technocratic professor at the University of Bergen in Norway ran a relatively unimposing campaign. This may be partly because Mr Abinader contracted COVID-19 and entered self-isolation earlier this year.
While he has never held high public office, Mr Abinader ran a disappointing presidential campaign in 2016.
The Abinader Campaign promised to add 150,000 formal jobs to the economy, mostly in the hospitality and tourism industry. Only an estimated 30 per cent of jobs in the Dominican Republic and formal and high-paying.
Mr Abinader’s family has significant ties and investments in the Dominican tourism and hotel industry, as reported by The New York Times.
The incoming government has also said that it will pick a more independently-minded attorney general and put more funding into the office and other anti-graft agencies.
While this year’s general election was undoubtedly a victory of the Dominican Republic’s opposition, the question of whether long-lasting change can happen in the country is still unknown. However, Mr Abinader seems to have invigorated his country’s political system with a new sense of hope for reform.
Sources:
‘Dominican opposition declares victory in coronavirus-hit election’. Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera Media Network, 06 July 2020,
‘The Dominican Republic changes its ruling party’. The Economist, The Economist Group, 08 July 2020,
https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/07/08/the-dominican-republic-changes-its-ruling-party
The Associated Press. ‘Opposition Candidate Wins Dominican Republic Presidential Vote’ The New York Times, The New York Time Company, 06 July 2020,
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/world/americas/Dominican-Republic-presidential-election.html