The polls close, the counting of votes begins to elect president and Congress

Dominicans came this Sunday to vote to elect president, vice president and legislators, in an election marked by the crisis in their neighbor Haiti and in which the current president, Luis Abinader, runs as a favorite.

The polls closed at 5 pm local time and the counting of votes began.

If no candidate obtains more than 50% of the vote, a second round will be held on June 30.

The Central Electoral Board (JCE) restricted the results of the exit polls as soon as the voting ends “until the issuance of the final bulletin of the results.”

The JCE set up a computing center at the Dominican Fiesta hotel in Santo Domingo, where the local and international press await the results, which will be announced at 8:30 pm local time, or when 20% of the votes are counted. votes.

External observers and political parties highlighted the good development of the day, which did not present any anomalies. From the international organization Young Politicians they assured that complaints were registered that will be processed to make suggestions to the government in future elections.

Observers highlighted the participation, although they assured that it was not massive.

The polls in Santo Domingo, the capital, were operating as of 7:10 am. The voting centers at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo and the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University remained busy early, although there were no delays in voting. suffrage and several people highlighted the speed of the process.

The president of the Central Electoral Board (JCE), Román Jáquez Liranzo, guaranteed “a transparent and fair process” and reported that more than 7.2 million citizens would vote in 4,295 electoral precincts nationwide, while almost 900,000 would vote in the abroad in 35 countries.

Jáquez Liranzo said that there was a contingent of 55,000 members of the military forces and the national police deployed to guarantee an uneventful day.

Ana Castellanos, a citizen who went to vote, told the VOA that the country hopes “to continue developing both economically and politically and that it be the best for everyone.”

Who are the candidates for the presidency?

Abinader, who came to power in 2020 through the Modern Revolutionary Party, competes with three-time president Leonel Fernández, of Fuerza del Pueblo, who is second in the polls, and Abel Martínez, of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD). , and former mayor of Santiago de los Caballeros, the second most important city in the country.

Abinader has approval ratings of around 70%, according to a CID-Gallup poll from September. The president has promoted the recovery of the tourism industry and the country had a projected growth of 5% of GDP in 2024, according to figures from the World Bank, reported Reuters.

Miguel Vargas (PRD) also competes; María Teresa Cabrera (Frente Amplio); Fulgencio Severino (Homeland for All); Carlos Peña (Server Generation); Virginia Antares (Democratic Option), and Roque Espaillat (Democratic Hope Party).

Abinader, who is seeking re-election for four more years, arrived shortly after 10 am to vote, accompanied by his wife, Raquel Arbaje, and Senator Faride Raful.

Abinader, who was received with applause, asked to “vote in peace and brotherhood, regardless of the party.”

The candidate and former president Leonel Fernández went to his voting center shortly after 10 am and was cheered by his supporters. “There is no need to put a limit on divine grace, maybe we will win in the first round, who knows, the enthusiasm I see is overwhelming,” he told the television station. WITHOUT from your vehicle.

Dominicans will also elect 178 deputies and 32 senators to the National Congress for the next four years.

Attentive observers

A mission of observers from the Organization of American States (OAS), led by former Chilean president Eduardo Frei, monitors the process.

“We have been receiving information through 84 OAS observers who are distributed throughout the Dominican Republic. There we receive the issues that arise for follow-up,” Frei told reporters.

Concerns about the crisis in Haiti in the Dominican presidential race

The humanitarian crisis in neighboring Haiti has been exacerbated by the gangs’ extensive control of territory, making this issue the main cause of concern among Dominicans, who fear a transfer of problems such as insecurity and mass migration. These concerns have played an important role in the campaigns of presidential candidates.

A Greenberg poll indicated that 65% of voters have thought about the situation in Haiti when deciding on their vote.

Abinader has taken a firm stance on border control and migration, which is why many Dominicans have seen him as the leader best suited to handle the crisis in Haiti. The current government has begun building a border wall along the border with Haiti and carried out mass deportations of 175,000 Haitians last year.

These measures have also resulted in criticism from human rights organizations, which have accused them of being discriminatory.

The candidates’ promises have revolved around controlling the migratory flow and maintaining deportations.

For the new government there will be challenges on the economic level. The World Bank said in a report in April this year that the “exceptional growth” was “reaching its limit due to low productivity growth in recent years, insufficient human capital to meet the needs of the business sector, the occurrence of climate change-related disasters and distortions in key markets.”

[Con reporte de The Associated Press y Reuters]

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