Incident, doubts herald end of President’s ‘honeymoon’ with Dominican society

Santo Domingo.- An incident between president Danilo Medina’s security detail and reporters on Tuesday and the media’s mounting doubts about the government’s willingness to fight corruption heralds the end of his Administration’s two-year “honeymoon” with Dominican society.

During yesterday’s inaugural of five schools in the sector Los Mameyes, Santo Domingo East, Medina’s bodyguards allowed the entry of the official press but blocked reporters who cover the day to day activities of the president, .

When Medina cut the ribbon the journalists were invited to an area where he was to unveil a mural painted by people with disabilities, but security stopped them.

The attitude prompted reporters to complain to the President, who despite gesturing to photojournalists to "come with me" to the salon, allowed one of the bodyguards to engage in a pushing confrontation with the group in the area reserved for the press, where a scuffle ensued.