The country will elect 32,190 deputies and 20 representatives to the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN).
SANTO DOMINGO. – Today, Sunday, May 19, 8,145,548 people are called to go to the 16,726 polling stations set up, so that those who are 18 years of age or older can vote and elect the president who will govern the destiny of the Dominican nation until the year 2028, as well as the senators and deputies.
The doors will be open from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM in the country, while abroad 1,566 centers have been enabled, in 46 locations in 35 countries, according to the JCE, whose staff focused yesterday Saturday on connecting the voting equipment.
A deployment of 55,000 members of the Armed Forces and the National Police, assigned to the Military Electoral Police (PME), will be safeguarding order to guarantee the integrity of the materials during the preparations for the elections and the security of the premises, voters and workers on election day.
Each of the polling stations has a maximum of 600 voters assigned, where Dominicans will go to select from the 9 presidential options competing this Sunday.
Some 2,000 observers, more than 400 from international organizations that have formed 20 missions and more than 1,500 national observers, will be monitoring the process.
9 candidates
Nine candidates are competing for the Presidency of the Republic for the next four years: Luis Abinader, the current president seeking re-election and representing the Modern Revolutionary Party; Leonel Fernández, former president of the country, for the People's Force; Abel Martínez, of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD); Miguel Vargas Maldonado, for the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD); Roque Espaillat, for the Democratic Hope Party (PED); Fulgencio Severino, of the Homeland for All Party; Virginia Antares for the Democratic Option party; María Teresa Cabrera, for the Broad Front party (FA); and Carlos Peña of the Generation of Servants Party (GenS).
Luis Abinader
Businessman and current president Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona is once again seeking the presidency of the country. This is his third time running.
In 2016, he ran for president with the PRM, a political organization he helped found in 2014 alongside former president Hipólito Mejía, but he was not elected. In the 2020 elections, he was elected president of the Republic with 52.52% of the vote, a total of 2,154,876 votes.
As a candidate for vice president, he had run in 2012 as the running mate of former president Hipólito Mejía.
For this year's elections, he obtained 821,998 votes in the PRM primaries, and was the elected candidate with 96.87% of the votes counted.
Leonel Fernández
This is the fifth time that lawyer, professor and writer Leonel Antonio Fernández Reyna has put himself forward as a presidential candidate, this time for the Fuerza del Pueblo party, an organization he founded in October 2019 after leaving the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD).
In the second round of voting on June 30, 1996, he was first elected Dominican president with 1,466,382 votes. His second term was in the presidential elections of May 16, 2004, when he obtained 2,063,871 votes.
His third and final term was on May 16, 2008, obtaining 2,199,734 votes.
For the 2020 elections, he was a candidate for the Dominican Workers' Party, changing its name to People's Force.
Abel Martinez
Abel Atahualpa Martínez Durán is the new presidential candidate for the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD). In 1997, he served as deputy district attorney in Santo Domingo. In 1999, he was appointed district attorney for the Judicial District of Santiago de los Caballeros.
In 2022, he was a deputy for the province of Santiago. In 2006, he was re-elected to the same position. In 2010, he was once again appointed deputy and president of the Chamber of Deputies.
For eight years, from 2016 to 2024, he was mayor of Santiago de los Caballeros.
In the PLD primaries held in 2022, Martínez was chosen as the presidential candidate for the 2024 elections, after obtaining 272,821 votes, 62.84%.
Roque Espaillat
Roque Alejandro Espaillat Tavárez, also known as “The Debt Collector”, seeks to become president “to collect from politicians the bills they owe to the citizens”.
He was initially running as a candidate for the Christian Socialist Party (PSC), but was removed from the political organization due to the opposing positions he took regarding the alliances formed with other political parties.
He is now a presidential candidate for the Democratic Hope Party (PED), a political organization chaired by Ramfis Domínguez Trujillo.
Fulgencio Severino
Cardiologist Fulgencio Marcelo Severino Cruz is seeking the presidency of the Republic for the Homeland for All Party.
It was in 1978 that he joined the Patriotic Union Movement, which years later became known as the Homeland for All Party.
Miguel Vargas
Miguel Octavio Vargas Maldonado has been seeking the presidency of the Republic through the PRD, the party he has led for at least 15 years. He is a civil engineer and businessman.
2008 was the year that Vargas Maldonado decided to run for president, losing to Leonel Fernández, at that time from the PLD.
From 1982 to 1986, he was the Director General of the Santo Domingo Water and Sewerage Corporation (CAASD). From 2000 to 2004, he served as Minister of Public Works and Communications. From 2016 to 2020, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Virginia Antares
As the youngest candidate, Virginia Antares Rodríguez Grullón is running for president for the Democratic Option party, which she was elected to in April 2023 with 97% of the votes.
She is a journalist and has participated in social movements and various marches in the country.
María Teresa Cabrera
María Teresa Cabrera, activist, educator and now presidential candidate for the Broad Front (FA) party.
Cabrera has been involved in politics for many years. In 2008, she was the vice-presidential candidate alongside Guillermo Moreno, representing the Alianza País party.
Carlos Peña
Carlos Peña, representing the Generation of Servants Party (GenS), is seeking the presidency.
From a very young age he was part of political life as a militant in the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD).
From 2006 to 2010 he was a deputy for the PLD, a party he left in 2018 due to accusations of corruption.
Senators and Representatives
The country will elect 32,190 deputies and 20 representatives to the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN).
Cover photo: presidential candidates.
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