Former candidate tried to steal presidential elections: Book

Santo Domingo.- Former opposition candidate Hipolito Mejia tried to steal the May 20, 2012, presidential election from Dominican Republic’s ruling party (PLD) and its candidate Danilo Medina, despite the Organization of American States’ (OAS) confirmation that the polling was transparent.

Journalist Rafael Nuñez made the revelation recently in his book "Tramas ocultas de una campaña electoral” (hidden schemes of an election campaign), with details of Mejia’s complaint to the OAS after learning of his defeat.

The journalist, former head of the Presidency’s Press Office under Fernandez, said Mejia sought to cast doubts on the elections, despite the praise for the balloting by international observers and OAS delegation leader Tabaré Vasquez, former president of Uruguay.

Bungled strategy

In the book Nuñez says the strategists of the PRD candidate understood that with Fernandez out of the 2012 race "cleared the way for Mejia to don the presidential sash."

He said Mejia ridiculed his internal opponents and challenged President Fernández, which in his view was a "mistake in choosing the adversary."