The PLD is formally divided

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - In Brief 21 Oct 2019 by Pavel Isa

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Last night, the PLD was formally divided. In a televised speech, former President Leonel Fernández announced his resignation as President and as a member of the PLD. In the speech, Fernandez, who served as President three terms, used very hard qualifications against President Medina and his group and accused them of orchestrating a fraud. The words used made evident that the wounds from the internal struggle are very deep and impossible to heal immediately. Fernández's formal resignation was preceded by that of some high-profile members of the PLD Political Committee such as Franklin Almeyda, Bautista Roias and Radhamés Jiménez as well as the resignation of some government officials loyal to Fernández. In addition to his departure from the PLD, Fernández announced the launch of a new political project: La Fuerza del Pueblo (The Force of the People), under the acronym LFP, for its Spanish acronym, which is the same as the phrase Leonel Fernandez President. Fernández will be legally supported by one of the small allied parties, the Dominican Workers Party (PTD), whose assembly recently decided to change his name to The Force of the People. The appearance of the LFP changes significantly the political landscape as that party is likely to become the third electoral force that, in principle, detracts from the PLD. In addition, as Fernandez himself indicated in his speech, the main immediate objective of LFP will be to defeat PLD and prevent it from winning the 2020 presidential elections. That objective is likely to push LFP to forge alliances with other opposition parties such as PRM and PRSC. However, the medium-term effect of LFP may be limited. It is widely perceived th...