Two former presidents, Leonel and Danilo, are in the streets opposing and several PRM leaders are more critical than opposing parties
The government of President Luis Abinader, in addition to the crisis it has faced derived from the covid-19 pandemic, which currently has its greatest impact on inflation, has three open political fronts. The opposition parties: the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) and the People’s Force (FP), as well as the dissident voices that come from the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM).
The opposition has assumed its critical role despite participating in the national dialogue convened by the government through the Economic and Social Council (CES) for fifteen reforms and a dialogue table on the Haitian crisis.
The greatest impact that the PLD achieves in its criticism of the government are the attacks launched by the president of that organization and former president Danilo Medina. In his last public presentation, he accused the government of trying to shame the leaders of that party to overshadow his work in government and warned him that he will not succeed.
The president of the FP, Leonel Fernández, has assumed inflation as the main opposition issue. Last Saturday he warned the government of the famous campaign phrase “E pa out que van”, if prices continue to rise. Fernández has also been critical of the government and Central Bank figures on economic growth and recently stated that the government lives “in a fantasy world” in relation to this issue and that it refuses to speak of a crisis.
However, the PLD and the FP are not the only opposition that Abinader’s government has, from within that party there are voices that from the beginning are more critical than those of the adversaries themselves. Guido Gómez Mazara, Ramón Alburquerque and Rafael (Fafa) Taveras, form a group of leaders who have raised their critical voices against the government and have capitalized on the complaints of leaders who are clamoring for government jobs. Albuquerque, in almost 15 months of his party’s rule, has been constant in criticism. Additionally, he has had to face opposite positions from leaders such as Eddy Olivares who now aspires to preside over that organization.
The last to join has been Guido Gómez Mazara, who develops a series of meetings to discuss the relationship between party-government and society, but they have become critical of the current administration. For example, recently, he said of “the agreements” of the leadership before the versions that this party will not hold primaries to choose the new authorities no later than March 2022.
“The actions that gave the PRM a reason for being were based on restoring the participatory roots of its bases and middle management, ignored for years and used in simulation exercises characterized by denying them the right to disagree with their leaders because what was established in the The old party as a habit was the denial of a whole culture of dissent and competition, characterizing the leaderships ”, he declared.
Opposition on the stage of Congress
A sample of what the united opposition is capable of doing occurred last week in a session of the Chamber of Deputies, which had to leave on the table a loan of 127 million dollars due to the threat of opposition deputies that they would vote against. There are also rumors of great displeasure from PRM deputies for positions in the government for their followers.
Another example was the law that the Senate approved to eliminate all types of privileges, vehicle exemptions and taxes, in response to an alleged campaign against the provincial representatives for the social assistance fund (barrel) they receive and the exemptions. What is striking about this action is that it was endorsed by the senators of the ruling PRM party. The spokesmen of the FP, Dionis Sánchez and Yván Lorenzo, of the PLD, have also assumed this scenario to criticize the government. Last week, Sánchez brought the topic of inflation to the floor and even spoke of massive protests.
Opposition and government dialogue and hit each other
Each case of corruption that the Public Ministry submits is a blow to the PLD and especially to its leader, Danilo Medina, since most of those involved were his close collaborators. Fernández and FP are hit with the passage of leaders of that party towards the ruling PRM as in the case of the mayor of San Juan, Hanoi Sánchez, and there are rumors of other leaders who could be “conquered” by the PRM. Both parties have raged in criticism in recent weeks. This opposition-government clash occurs in a context of national dialogue to debate reforms and address the issue of the Haitian crisis. It remains to be seen if Abinader manages to maintain the governance that it has achieved so far.
