Dominican President’s reelection coyness gets the missus in hot water

Santo Domingo.- President Leonel Fernandez’s cool evasiveness on whether he’ll seek reelection in 2012 has placed his wife on the hot seat, when her affirmation that “it’s not he who’s interested in getting reelected, but the people shouting for his re-election” was rebuked readers of major newspaper El Caribe.

The First Lady Margarita Cedeño’s statements, some readers say, violate the Constitution, just as the promoters of Fernandez’s re-election.

Others mocked the First Lady and even described her as disrespectful and accuse her of lying. “Ha-ha, but that’s a joke in bad taste, that the people want Leonel again, only she and the PLD (ruling party) backers believe that.”

Another reader wrote: “How many things must we listen to in this world. It’s true that politicians and lawyers cannot be trusted, for God’s sake abusing lady.”

They say the only ones interested in Fernandez’s reelection are the senators, who in their view lack morals and don’t represent the people, as evidenced by Dominican society’s bleak view of its legislators.

“Most excellent first lady who is the people? Are the people the group of senators placed by president Leonel Fernandez? Remember that those senators who are bent on re-election don’t have the morals because they are senators today thanks to Leonel Fernandez and owe him. That’s the reason they must pay back the favor in some way! So those senators do not represent the people,” one Caribe reader said.

Cedeño stated that at no time her husband has said he’s interested in seeking reelection, and instead is asked by the different national sectors and where visits, for his “good administration.”