Opposition party rivals could meet, but tension mounts

Santo Domingo.- The president of the Dominican Republic’s main opposition party (PRD) Thursday said he’s willing to talk with the entire organization to reach an understanding, including ex president Hipolito Mejia, based on respect for the institution.

Miguel Vargas’ statement comes as tension builds around PRD headquarters, as Mejia was scheduled to visit there for the first time since the May 20 election, when the building was placed under lock and chain by Vargas’s faction.

He said however that he disagrees with moving up the date of the convention to elect new officers, because in his view the organization elected him president for four years according to statues.

He said the PRD’s doors are open to all rank and file but in a disciplined manner and with respect for its hierarchies.

Today marks the PRD’s 51st anniversary of its arrival from exile, just weeks after the assassination of Rafael Trujillo on May 30, 1961.