The Ministry of Interior rewards ten police officers in Santiago

Barrios Seguros Operation

Ten members of the National police force assigned to the districts in which the program « Barrios Seguros » is in function through the Democratic Security Plan were rewarded by the Secretariat of Interior and Police for the effective work developed in the Community. One underlined during the ceremony that the Democratic Plan of Security is focused on the reconstitution of the Dominican State authority through a major reform of the National police force.

This program aims at obtaining not only the permanent presence of the police force in the cities and the villages of the country but also to recover the confidence of the citizenship in this institution.

The Democratic Plan of Security implemented by President Leonel Fernández, as well in the town of Santo Domingo as in the town of Santiago, aims at six principal sectors.

With this initiative, one tends to develop an effective preventive police force and a major academic reform to train better police officers. To develop and implement an adequate system of criminal research adapted to realities of the Dominican democracy, including the implementation of a legal institute with adequate laboratories, to improve the rapprochement of the national police force with the civil society by the means of the Community Police force. This program promotes the development of internal businesses for a control inside the National police force, in order to systematically reduce the corruption and also to professionalize the Police force with good technologies and to thus create an institution which answers the interests of the citizens.

31 Districts are currently supervised in the town of Santiago by the Secretariat of the Interior and Police, which allowed a considerable reduction of the punishable acts and the recognition of the Community organizations and of the society.

El Nuevo Diario, by Marcelo Peralta, 10.05.08

The Employers of Santiago trust the electoral process

Transparent elections

SANTIAGO. - The employers’ leaders of Santiago are trustful in the fact that the electoral process is the most advantageous for all the citizens of this country.

The presidents of the Association of the Storekeepers and Industrialists of Santiago (ACIS), Luis Núñez; of the Industrialists of the Northern Area (AIREN), Oliveiro Espaillat, and of the Wholesalers of Santiago (AMAPROSAN), Marcos Pichardo, considered that the most important in these elections is that they are performed in the greatest possible transparency.

Espaillat exhorted so that the process of tomorrow is concluded in a peaceful environment, free of incidents, where all the citizens conscious of their duty and of their right go in an ordered way to vote and that the poll is recognized as clean and transparent .

Núñez, said that by democratic tradition and other electoral processes, I believe that this one was held with few violence .

Marcos Pichardo declared that the country was sufficiently mature to see the elections like something normal, and that whoever obtains the majority of the votes, he will have to be accepted as an elected president.

Oliverio Espaillat declared that the past and the feeling of uncertainty are far behind and that the Electoral Board was equipped with advanced technology, which will allow more transparency and right information.

Hoy Digital, by Yamira Taveras, 15.05.08

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

North region business leaders seek pact to shore up Dominican economy

A pact to consolidate Dominican Republic’s economy

SANTIAGO.- Cibao area (north) business leaders grouped in the North Region Industrialists Association (AIREN) yesterday proposed that the opposition and the Government sign a pact to consolidate Dominican Republic’s economy.

In a statement, the organization said sweeping measures are currently needed and that a simple the ruling party majority isn’t enough, and requires consensus of all sectors instead.

In that regard AIREN proposed several measures, among them to reestablish some type of agreement with the IMF to benefit the climate for foreign investment, to solve the electricity problem, spur national production and reduce imports. These challenges must be assumed by the President, together with all the different sectors in the country to be confronted in all its dimensions.

It said the current challenges are urgent and the country needs to orient an effective strategy to confront the world crisis.

The business group said the high price of oil and the world food crisis are factors that force the implementation of efficient operations which help lessen the effects of a highly-threatening scenario for the productive sectors and the country as a whole.

AIREN also wants the new Government to be more austere by significantly reducing spending to be able to control inflation.

Dominican Today, 23.05.08

Legislation seeks to spur import of hybrid vehicles

Bill submitted

Senator Francisco Domínguez Brito (Santiago-PLD) submitted a bill to create the Hybrid-electric Vehicle Import Incentive Law and defines them as driven by a combination of energy from fuel with an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, with a battery.

The legislation proposes an import tax exemption of 30 percent for those vehicles, according to what the law establishes for new vehicles driven by electrical energy, hydrogen fuel cells or compressed air.

Dominican Today, 27.05.08

Northern Division of the Forests is working hard

The contraveners are released by the Environmental Justice

Santiago. - The Northern Division of the National Management of the Forests indicated that in spite of the indulgence with which the contraveners to law 6400 are treated, this organization continues without respite its task of investigation and of bringing before the court the people who carry out illegal precious wood cut or those who by non-observance cause damage to properties.

Colonel Giovanni Tiburcio ensured that the institution he heads carries out in a continuous way arrests in various zones of Santiago, however, when these people are brought before the environmental justice, they are released without any explanation.

With regard to people who cause fires in the metropolitan zone and the peripheral sectors of mountain of Santiago, San Jose de Las Matas, Villa González and other areas, colonel Tiburcio indicated that the Environment public ministry was provided with more than forty files, ready for the sentencing of the contraveners and that however, the latter generally are released.

He said that although to burn lands is an ancestral habit, some people act in an inadequate way, by making that big spaces of tree planted grounds succumb to the fire.

He suggested that it was the task of the Office of the Prosecutor of Environment to investigate in order to know why the people who in an imprudent or harmful way cause damage to the natural resources are not condemned.

El Libelo, by Luz Bregman, le 28.05.08