Source: Diario Libre
The Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) held a successful citizen consultation last Sunday to determine which of its presidential candidates had the greatest level of support across the country. Abel Martinez, the mayor of Santiago de los Caballeros, was declared the winner one day after the cheers rang out. The Casa Nacional Reinaldo Pared, where the results were announced, seemed to be in complete calm despite the dozens of workers who coexisted yesterday in the happiness of having won their “festival of democracy.”
Supporters of PLD were working until the wee hours of the morning, exhausted from staying up all night to see the project come to fruition, and they couldn’t wait to provide the most recent bulletin with the full results. According to PLD spokesman Héctor Olivo, “the truth is that there is an atmosphere of rejoicing and joy because we have achieved a challenge that we set for ourselves with great harmony and great determination.”
Without the involvement of the Central Electoral Board, the PLD managed the entirety of the citizen consultation process. Due to this, the party has been forced to use its efforts to establish a structure, fuel campaigning, and advance the goals of its five candidates. They said, interspersed with smiles and jokes, “We are tired, but today we feel much more energetic and happy. It feels like we won.”