Dominican Republic’s opposition party at the edge of the abyss

Santo Domingo.- Former president Hipolito Mejía yesterday warned that opposition PRD party president Miguel Vargas seeks to oust him from the organization along with other leaders, a claim that comes just hours prior to the release of a poll that shows a wide gap between the rank and file’s support for the two rivals.

Mejia, who has 53.5% of support compared with Vargas’ 15.6%, according to a survey by the pollster Newlink, based his denouncement on the request to convene the PRD?? the Political Commission, which in his view, is evidence of the latter’s plan to divide the organization.

He said his collaborators and senior PRD leaders Andres Bautista, Orlando Jorge, and Geanilda Vasquez, were notified yesterday to appear before the PRD Disciplinary Committee next Friday.

On Saturday Mejia called Vargas a traitor for convening the Disciplinary Committee, and noted that the party president isn’t the PRD’s owner. "While talking about convening the leadership for unity with the one hand, deepens the division with the other."

While also criticizing Vargas’ "double standards," Mejia’s group announced the designation of a commission of attorneys to analyze the situation and the notifications they were issued.

Investigation process

PRD Supervisory Board chairman Julio Marinez yesterday confirmed that Mejia, Jorge, Vasquez and Bautista are the target of a probe on alleged disciplinary offenses.