SANTO DOMINGO (Reuters) – Dominican Republic’s opposition presidential candidate Luis Abinader declared victory on Sunday night, as the first results in a survey marked by the coronavirus pandemic showed him ready to end control of 16 years of the ruling party.
A policeman watches over the empty streets of the colonial district, after the state of emergency decreed by the government last Thursday, as a preventive measure against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, March 24 2020. REUTERS / Ricardo Rojas
In the preliminary results representing 22% of the ballots cast, Abinader, 52, of the opposition Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), won 53.3% of the vote, which if sustained would be enough to avoid a second electoral return.
Gonzalo Castillo, 59, of the ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), whose candidacy was backed by President Danilo Medina, ranked second with 37.1% of the votes. Both sides are centrist and pro-business.
Medina, 68, who served two consecutive four-year terms, was not eligible to seek re-election after failing to obtain sufficient support for a constitutional change to reoccur.
“Today we overcame fear with hope and doubt with determination,” Abinader told supporters at his campaign headquarters.
Voters had instructed him, he said, to address “the most difficult challenges in our history,” namely the country’s coronavirus outbreak, one of the worst in Latin America, and its economic impact.
The US-educated economist and leader of the tourism industry, with no previous government experience, had to briefly suspend appearances last month after testing positive for the virus. He says he has since recovered and tested negative.
Abinader said he will seek to relaunch growth in the country of 10.4 million, which shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with Haiti, especially affected by the blow the pandemic struck its key tourism industry.
The PLD’s strong economic record does not appear to have been enough to offset voters’ complaints about its management of the outbreak, persistent inequality, and corruption allegations.
The Caribbean’s largest economy has achieved 7% annual growth in the past decade, but has fallen 38 places on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index during that time to 137 out of 180 countries.
The PLD was also seriously weakened after former President Leonel Fernández, 66, parted ways to form a scattered party in October. The first results placed him in a distant third place with 8.6% of the votes.
The presidential and parliamentary elections took place when coronavirus cases continued to reach record daily highs four months after the first reported cases. The country has reported 37,425 cases and 794 deaths.
Critics say the government did not act fast enough, reopened the economy too early last month and is too slow on the evidence.
Meanwhile, the Organization of American States said Sunday that one of the nine members of its electoral observation mission had tested positive for coronavirus and had been quarantined.
The OAS mission said it had detected flaws in social distancing during the day despite efforts by authorities, who also imposed measures such as requiring voters to wear face masks and disinfect their hands before casting their vote.
The government had postponed the elections as of May, but would have had to amend the constitution to postpone them again.
Some Dominicans abroad were unable to vote due to coronavirus blocking restrictions.
Report by Ezequiel Abiu López; Written by Sarah Marsh; Peter Cooney and Richard Pullin Edition
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