Law 33-18, on Political Parties, sets the start of the electoral pre-campaign for the first Sunday in July 2027. In accordance with what is stipulated in the legislative text, it is not until that date that political organizations, candidates and leaders can carry out proselytizing activities or promote their political intentions.
However, despite the express prohibition in the law and the occasional warning issued by the Central Electoral Board (JCE), the proselytism of different political actors from different parties continues to increase with the passing of the days even though there is little more than a year left until Sunday the Fourth of July next year.
In recent weeks, with more than a dozen “aspirants” for a presidential candidacy, they took advantage of the occasions of activities and assemblies of their political organizations to promote their figure and a future presidential nomination.
Carolina and the fight in the PRM
Carolina Mejía, current mayor of the National District, has taken advantage of her status as general secretary of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) to carry out an “accountability tour” in multiple areas of the country to “ensure” that she will be the presidential candidate of the ruling party in May 2028.
The most recent of these activities was carried out in Santiago de los Caballeros, where she indicated that she is prepared to assume the Presidency of the Republic.
“I am going to be a candidate for the Presidency of the Dominican Republic. And if God willing, and you accompany me, I am going to be the president of the Dominican Republic,” said the political leader during her speech before hundreds of leaders of the ruling party.
Mejía took advantage of the presence of members of the grassroots, who have had multiple differences with the PRM leadership, to assure them that they will be an integral part of his “electoral victory” and that they will “help” him govern.
Carolina’s activities have allowed her to be the protagonist of public showcases among PRM candidates. However, that does not mean that the other six candidates have lagged behind in their proselytizing actions.
David Collado’s team continues to spread news of shows of support within the party, including that of Alberto Atallah; while the Minister of Tourism takes advantage of the activities to summarize the achievements of his administration.
Additionally, last weekend, it sponsored several activities for Mother’s Day in different locations throughout the country; among them the one held in Padre de las Casas by the Perremeista leader Sandy Báez, who attributed Collado with being able to hold the event.
For her part, Vice President Raquel Peña has been taking advantage of her exposure to lead different government activities in different parts of the country.
Although to a lesser extent, Eduardo (Yayo) Sanz Lovatón, Minister of Industry and Commerce; Wellington Arnaud, executive director of the National Institute of Drinking Water and Sewage (Inapa); Guido Gómez Mazara, president of the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel) and Francisco Antonio (Tony) Peña Guaba have remained relevant in a race for the presidential candidacy of the PRM that began just the day after President Luis Abinader indicated that he would not seek a third term at the head of the Executive Branch.
Gonzalo, Francisco Javier and the advancement of the PLD
Last Friday, the First Collegiate Court of the National District issued a “no case” in favor of Gonzalo Castillo, who was accused of participating in acts of administrative corruption by the Public Ministry.
Castillo, who due to this legal process against him had withdrawn from political life (until a few months ago) giving up his seat within the political committee of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), left the court “victorious” and indicating that he would go with everything for the Presidency of the Republic.
“I want to thank Almighty God first. When I came here today it did not matter what decision was made today. I am going for everything, I am going with everything and I will be the new president in 2028, so that in all Dominican homes there is more food and that the people have greater well-being,” said the former presidential candidate upon receiving the sentence in his favor.
The presidential intentions of Gonzalo, who was the candidate in the 2020 elections where he received more than 30% of the votes, were confirmed when his name was registered among the list of candidates who will compete in the “consultations” process that the PLD will carry out this October.
Although the former Minister of Public Works and Communications is the one who has grabbed the main headlines, the PLD race includes Francisco Javier García who is touring the country in search of rallying support in his favor.
The former official, who is promoting his figure by leading activities in parallel to the PLD party assemblies, indicated that his political project will remain firm in the face of the electoral contest.
“No one stops me, only God, and God, I am totally sure, what he wants is the best that we represent for the Dominican Republic,” he stated.
In addition to Gonzalo and Francisco Javier, Charlie Mariotti and Francisco Domínguez Brito are also among those who will compete in that contest and, at every opportunity, they make accusations and question the management of the Perremeista government.
Abel and the advanced process
The idea of the PLD is that on Sunday, October 18, a consultation process will be carried out, where they will choose who will be the presidential candidate who will lead their proposal for the May 2028 elections.
The purpose of the opposition party is to carry out a process similar to the one they did in October 2022, which they called “citizen consultation”, when citizens not registered in other political parties will be able to choose which presidential proposal to support.
The aforementioned candidates will participate in it, among others (Ramón Ventura Camejo, Luis de León and Manfred Mata), however, the last presidential candidate of the PLD, and winner of the 2022 process, Abel Martínez decided not to participate in the process, considering it as violating the Law of Parties.
“I have maintained that the path to 2028 must be built on an authentic transparent consensus. A process that departs from the letter of the Constitution, our laws and our own Statutes, ends up weakening the trust that the Dominican people place in us. Coherence is not proclaimed: it is practiced. I prefer the solitude of firmness than the applause of contradiction,” was Martínez’s statement when requesting not to be included among the names of those contending in that process.
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JCE has not been able to control
Throughout all the waste of untimely proselytism that has been shown, the JCE has made several warnings, from indicating that they will not accept candidacies that are chosen outside the deadline established in the law to direct legal injunctions to the parties.
However, none of these actions have managed to stop the proselytizing activities and statements that continue to increase as the days go by.
Despite this decision, representatives of Martínez continue to participate in the meetings held by the senior staff of the purple party with the candidates for the presidential candidacy.
The current law states that it is not until October 2027 that the parties will proclaim or select any candidate, however, the PLD has been “specific” in pointing out that the process only seeks “one figure” to give them all the support of their party structure and that if next year, someone decides to run against that person for the presidential candidacy, “they have every right to do so.”
The former mayor of Santiago has not ruled out the possibility of participating as a pre-candidate in possible primaries, despite the fact that the PLD has indicated that the “party support” will go to the person who wins the process this October.
Leonel promotes his government ideas
While in the PLD and the PRM there are internal contests for the presidential candidacy, the People’s Force is planning to place former president Leonel Fernández, once again, as the person who will lead its proposal in May 2028.
Fernández, who is president of that party, has used his speeches at assemblies and party activities to detail his opinion of the actions of the current government administration and to talk about “what they would be like” under his administration.
Will Omar contend?
The senator of the National District, and son of Leonel, Omar Fernández once again left open the possibilities of competing for a presidential candidacy. In a commemorative audiovisual for Mother’s Day, the legislator was questioned by his mother about whether he wants to be President of the Republic or not, to which he responded “I want to be what God wants.”
That response reignited the debate about whether Omar will be the candidate presented by the People’s Force; However, the senator has stated on several occasions that “family values” are above any survey or political issue and that he will not compete with his father.
Despite this, the Camino Nuevo Party and its president Eglenin Morrison, for the second time in two years, once again proclaimed that Omar will be that party’s candidate in the May 2028 elections.
With the proclamation, Morrison once again ordered the placement of “100 new billboards” promoting the son of former president Leonel Fernández, pointing out that, if the JCE notifies them again as they did last year, they will submit an appeal for protection to the Constitutional Court.
