Santo Domingo.- During his weekly press conference, Fuerza del Pueblo’s Presidential candidate, Leonel Fernández, accused President Luis Abinader’s government of deceiving the public and manipulating data regarding economic growth and job creation, topics that were notably absent from last week’s debate.

Fernández challenged Abinader’s claim of “6.5% growth,” made during the presidential candidates’ debate, labeling it as “blatant manipulation.” He argued that actual growth stands at 1.9%, supported by data projected behind him during the conference.

Furthermore, Fernández criticized the government for falling behind neighboring countries such as Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Costa Rica in terms of economic growth.

Regarding employment, Fernández reminded the audience of Abinader’s promise to recover and create one million jobs, initially made in August 2021 and reiterated on subsequent occasions. However, Fernández asserted that during the 42 months of the current administration, only 236,788 jobs were added, with a significant increase in informal employment by 248,849 individuals. He emphasized that formal job creation stagnated, leading to a slowdown in the expansion of the middle class and a rise in informal economy promotion.

Fernández detailed employment deficits across various sectors, including agriculture, health, social assistance, energy, gas, water, and industry. He highlighted the disproportionate impact on women and young adults, with double the number of unemployed women compared to men and individuals aged 15 to 39 constituting 44% of the unemployed population. Additionally, he noted over 300,000 individuals gave up job hunting in a country where informal employment prevails at 56%.