Former president’s grip on opposition party falters, rift widens

Santo Domingo.- The former president of DominicanRepublic’s major opposition party (PRD) Enmanuel Esquea on Thursday declined anotherbid for that post, a move that reveals the widening rift within the faction headedby former president Hipolito Mejía and Luis Abinader.

"I inform the entire party’s rank-and-file thedecision to decline my aspirations to the PRD presidency, in interest of notbeing an obstacle to the adoption of the measures necessary for a solution forthe current problem," he said.

Esquea appeared to be the faction’s favorite candidate thatbut a group withdrew their support and now back former vice president MilagrosOrtiz Bosch, who just yesterday was designated by Mejía and Abinader to read astatement to the press rejecting PRD president Miguel Vargas ‘s “surprise” calllast Tuesday for a meeting of the Political Commission.

Esquea also reported that yesterday, in his capacity asChairman of the Advisory Committee, called the Agency for tomorrow at 5:00 inthe afternoon at the premises of the Committee of the PRD’s National District.

It justified the call for the "delicate" situationaffecting the PRD, and because the Advisory Committee has among its functions,the knowledge and study of partisan problems.

At the press conference the Mejía-Abinader faction reaffirmedits refusal to participate in the convention announced by Vargas for February23, which Ortiz Bosch called, “like sheep to the slaughter.”