Santo Domingo. – Sunday’s elections will be pit the two parties both founded by Dominican Republic’s most prolific writer and ex president Juan Bosch, and the two have governed each 12 during 24 years and likely win the polling again.
Both the opposition PRD founded in 1939 and the ruling PLD in 1973 have gravitated from a leftist ideology to the center, and faced off for the first time as the major parties in 1996, when the latter won for the first time, with the support of then president Joaquin Balaguer.
Since president Leonel Fernandez’s first win in 1996, the PRD has held office only once, from 2000 to 2004, with its current candidate Hipolito Mejia beating current PLD candidate Danilo Medina by a wide margin.
The PRD has held office from February to September 1963, 1978 to 1986, and from 2000 to 2004, whereas the PLD has been in power from 1996 to 2000, and from 2004 to present.