Luis Abinader re-elected president in the first round: “The Dominican Republic has changed forever”

Although I’ve been celebrating it for weeks, it’s now official. Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) candidate Luis Abinader has been re-elected as President of the Dominican Republic. In a presidential speech he said, “The country is changed forever.” In his first words the President addressed the leaders of the second and third political forces, Leonel Fernández for the People’s Force and Abel Martínez for the Dominican Liberation Party. Although current results give him 59% and only 21% has been counted, both opposition leaders called to congratulate him. “I believe I have got this confidence. “I will not let you down,” Abinander declared.

These results give them a first round victory as predicted by polls, which calculated percentages between 57% and 64%. “The people have said clearly, the Dominican people want to continue to push for change, we have more popular support and votes than in 2020,” he said. “We have gone part of the way and now it is time to deepen the changes and reforms.” He also assured that “not a single minute should be wasted” and called for a national accord with the opposition “tomorrow”.

Surrounded by his government team and his wife Raquel Arbaje Soni, he confirmed what he had said during the campaign: “I will not be a candidate again.” He said, “I will respect the limits of the Constitution in matters of elections. “I will not be a candidate again, this is my word, this is my commitment and this will be part of my legacy in the Republic.” These words were indicative of the society’s criticism of several former presidents who had reformed the Constitution for that purpose, such as Hipólito Mejía and Danilo Medina.

According to the first data from the Central Electoral Board (JCE), Abinader obtained 32 points more than the second-best placed candidate, former President Fernandez (26.98%). Abel Martínez, the former mayor of Santiago, the country’s second city, barely reached 10.76% of the vote, one of the lowest percentages in the historical group. So at around 9:10 pm both of them accepted defeat.

Martínez was the first to do so. As soon as he made the announcement on the social network X, he called to congratulate him and recognize “his victory in the elections”. “This sense of civility strengthens our democracy and reflects everyone’s commitment to the well-being of the nation. Let’s move forward, working together for a better future for all Dominicans,” Abinader wrote on the same network. Similarly, Leonel Fernández also reported through X that he had congratulated him: “Tonight I called President Luis Abinader to recognize his electoral victory and wish him success in his administration.” During the presidential speech, Abinander thanked for the gesture: “I want us to give him and the other candidates applause because it shows the democracy of our country.”

Sociologist Juan Miguel Pérez believes that in the four years “the presidency spent.” From becoming a leader to becoming a political leader.” And thus he got rid of the criticism that he had received from the society for being a “tayota” (a tasteless fruit). “They wanted to tell him it was bland, like fruit, it would taste whatever you put in it. That is no longer true. The choices have become clear.” For Dominican political analyst Daniel Pou, this result is close to the average of the surveys. “There was no doubt it was going to be a sweep.”

According to Pou, Fernández’s second place leaves him without political legitimacy: “He is presented as a symbolic opposition.” The news for them is the “scandalous” collapse of the PLD, a party that ruled for 20 years, 16 of them consecutively. “The Dominican political model does not support three parties, only one leader and one opposition group. Third parties always tend to pollute.” Roque Espaillat’s ultra-conservative group, the Democratic Hope Party, is positioned as the fourth political force (with 1.4%), which is “irrelevant” to Pou: “L. Cobrador (as it is known) is a political trend that “can” very quickly become profane, because it is a party of irrational positions, with a lot of supremacist mixed in.” Overseas votes will be known at the end of the night.

The celebration at PRM headquarters was not unexpected. They have been celebrating practically since the beginning of the election campaign. In fact, four days earlier they had held what they called the “Great Victory Party”, an elaborate event with children’s interviews with the President and several live merengue concerts. In his last speech of the campaign he said, “The PRM is the last hope for real change in Dominican politics.” “I request you to use your right to vote wisely and think about the common good.”

Jose Enriquez Bono, 67, who had promised to do so immediately after casting his vote at Bebek School, will also celebrate at his home. This Dominican went to the polls at 9:00 with a “very, very clear” vote and with confidence that the president would rule for four more years: “I voted for Abinader, leader of the country.” He says there are several reasons for this: from economic progress to boosting tourism on the island. “Last year we brought in 10 million foreigners, this year there will be 12. This is possible with this president,” he said.

As a businessman in the pharmaceutical sector, he also celebrated the government’s management during the pandemic. This is one of the measures that Abinader has most appreciated by the Dominican people, with more than 70% approval: “We were the country that recovered the fastest from Covid. And these four years have been peaceful, orderly and very stable. Other people can’t promise that.”

Abinader’s popularity mainly focuses on five factors: his good management of the pandemic after assuming the presidency in August 2020; Boosting the tourism sector, which will bring more than 10 million foreigners to the island for the first time in history in 2023 and 7 billion left; An anti-corruption discourse that was widespread in a society fed up with the political class; An economic growth that places it as the ninth fastest growing country in the region and an immigration policy of mass deportations, which aligns with a strong anti-Haitian discourse on the island. “Changes will continue,” he said in the speech, “most likely in the same direction.”

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