Medina in record electoral win
Let's get back to Politics:
From DR1.
"If the results stand as they are in terms of percentage, President Danilo Medina will be the first presidential candidate to receive over 60% of the votes in an election over the past two decades, and especially notable for a candidate seeking re-election when a president's popularity often declines.
The JCE says 72% of those registered to vote did so".
72% turn out. Are you kidding me? That's unbelieveable. The highest turnout for the last FOUR Presidential elections in the US was 62.3 in 2008.
From DR1.
"Mainly calm during election.
The head of the Electoral Military Police, General Eduardo Mani announced yesterday, Monday 16 May 2016 that six people lost their lives during the whole electoral process but that all incidents had occurred outside the voting centers.
He said that on 15 May 2016, Election Day itself, 38 firearms were confiscated in order to guarantee the safety of voting centers".
DAMN! People packin "gats and stuff" for the election. They take their politics pretty seriously down here. But no one should die in the electoral process.
Medina breaks ground on 55.7 M euros water treatment plant
Dominican Today- 13 April 2016.
Santo Domingo- President Danilo Medina headed groundbreaking Wednesday for the construction of a water treatment plant on the Ozama River, at a cost of 55.7 million euros, funded by Deutsche Bank.
The ceremony included Santo Domingo Aqueduct Utility (CAASD) director Alejandro Montas, Environment minister Bautista Rojas, senator Cristina Lizardo, Administrative minister Jose Ramon Peralta, and other officials.
The work by contractor Incatema Consulting will benefit over 450,000 residents in the northern part of the National District and the municipality Santo Domingo Norte.
Montas said among the sectors that will benefit from the plant figure La Zurza, Cristo Rey, Villas Agricolas, Villa Consuelo, Villa Juana, Ensanche Luperand, Viejo Arroyo Hondo I why II, Capotillo, Cuesta Hermosa I why II, Simand Bolvar, Sabana Perdida, Villa Mella and Los Guaricanos, among others.
Narcos;elected to Congress?
From DR1:
According to a report in Listin Diario last week, two men were elected as Congressional deputies on 15 May despite having been accused of asset laundering and drug trafficking and having been tried by courts in the Dominican Republic and the United States. The deputies-elect are Sergio Moya de la Cruz for the National District and Franklin Romero for the province of Duarte (San Francisco de Macoris) according to the preliminary vote count by the Central Electoral Board (JCE).
In July 1998, the National Drug Control Agency (DNCD) accused Moya de la Cruz (Gory), who was elected for Circumscription 3 of the National District on the PRM ticket, of laundering US $300 million together with 14 other individuals.
In March 2000, Moya obtained a discharge on the grounds of "insufficient evidence" from the Second Penal Chamber presided by judge Ilsis Munoz. At the time, the Attorney General's office money laundering prosecutor, German Miranda Villalona, had asked for an eight-year sentence.
In the case of deputy-elect Franklin Romero, accusations against him were heard in the United States after he was arrested in Panama when boarding a cruise ship in 2011 and sentenced by judge Lawrence McKenna of the Southern District Court of New York.
In March 2016, prosecutor Miranda Villalona stated that 10-20 candidates in the general election had links to money laundering or drug trafficking.
Miranda Villalona called on the political parties exercise greater control over who was financing the campaigns. "We are seeing the threat of organized crime cartels penetrating political party campaign funding, he warned. At the time, the Central Electoral Board (JCE) president said it was impossible to remove anyone who had not been convicted from the candidates' list.
[URL]http://www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2016/06/03/421703/fantasma-lavado-de-activos-asoma-en-el-nuevo-congreso[/URL]
Former prostitute elected to Congress
DR1 Daily News -- Friday, 10 June 2016:
United Women's Movement (Modemu) president Jackeline Montero ran for a seat in the Chamber of Deputies on the PRM ticket and was elected. A former prostitute, she says she will focus on promoting the creation of training and reorientation centers for sex workers in each province of the country, as well as the installation and operation of daycare centers for working mothers.
In an interview with Listin Diario, she spoke out against the installation of prostitution tolerance centers in each province, where the profession can be practiced with National Police protection. Montero says that instead, training and orientation centers should be built for these women, so they can achieve a better qualify of life and improved health.
She estimates that there are 200,000 sex workers nationwide and said that she would be representing them and defending their rights in Congress. Her movement, Modemu, has registered 10,800 sex workers.
Adriano Espaillat to US Congress
OK, so this is not exactly Politics in the Dominican Republic. But I think if this guy gets elected and keeps getting elected and gets onto the right committee or becomes the chair of the right committee, he might have some input into US policy affecting the Dominican Republic. Yes, I know a lot of ifs and a might. This one is going to play out over time. But interesting to me from a sociological point of view, it also points to how a shift in demographics can change political influence.
From DR1:
The Dominican-American New York State Senator, Adriano Espaillat, who was born 27 September 1954 in Santiago de LOS Caballeros, is poised to become the first Dominican-born member of the USA House of Representatives. In its coverage on the vote during the Democratic primary to replace retiring 86-year old Representative Charles Rangel, the New York Times highlights that if the early results hold, this would be the first time since 1944 that an African-American will not represent the 13th Congressional District. The previous incumbents were Rangel and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Rangel, who has represented the District for nearly 50 years, having been elected 23 times, had endorsed Assemblyman Keith Wright who opposed Espaillat.
The 13th Congressional District covers upper Manhattan and a large area of the Bronx, including Harlem and East Harlem and areas with dense Dominican populations such Washington Heights, Inwood and Northwest Bronx.
With 98% of the vote counted, Espaillat had 37% of the vote compared to 34% for Wright. This was Espaillat's third bid for Congress. He ran against Rangel in 2012 and 2014. Espaillat would become the first Dominican immigrant elected to the US Congress.
The New York Daily News pointed out that the vote results signal a shift in influence in the historically black Congressional district and also long the epicenter of black politics citywide and toward its newly surging Hispanic electorate.
The New York Times explains that if Espaillat wins the primary, he would be the most likely winner of the House of Representatives seat in the November 2016 general election because of the district's overwhelmingly Democratic registration.
The New York Times highlights: "A victory by Mr. Espaillat would realize a long-sought goal of the so-called Dominican diaspora, which began to take root here in large numbers after the United States invaded the Caribbean nation in 1965. Many landed in Washington Heights, where the streets became outposts of the towns left behind. "
[URL]http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2016/06/28/democratic-primary-tuesday-in-nyc.html[/URL]
[URL]http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/rep-charles-rangel-endorses-keith-wright-house-successor-article-1.2690968[/URL]
[URL]http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/espaillat-congress-best-choice-replace-rangel-article-1.2685752[/URL]
[URL]http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/29/nyregion/adriano-espaillat-charles-rangel-first-dominican-in-congress.html?_r=0[/URL]
Police Generals Oppose Police Reform Bill
From DR1 Dateline 14 July 2016:
The board of directors of the Institute of Retired Generals of the National Police (IGREPOL) is asking President Danilo Medina to veto the bill to reform the Police recently passed in Congress. The bill is now pending the President's signing and publishing to be law. Among other measures it calls for a drastic reduction in the number of working generals in the Police.
[URL]http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=487715[/URL]
Por Supesto! (But of course) LOL!