Election win widens Dominican Republic ruling party rift

Santo Domingo.- The rift splitting the ruling PLD party inthe heels of the recent election resulting from a constitutional reform just towider Tuesday, with public bickering among the organization’s senior leaders andofficials of president Danilo Medina’s administration.

PLD cofounder Franklin Almeyda fired the first salvo whenhe called for a review of the organization, to in his words, strengthen theconfidence the PLD has accomplished among the Dominican people, so the administrationcan ensure governance and deal with the that attacks on the government that he affirmsare imminent.

Almeyda’s statements reveal the magnitude of the riftbetween PLD president Leonel Fernandez’s faction and of Medina’s, whose officials,specially Administrative minister Jose Ramon Peralta and Government spokesman RobertoRodriguez Marchena have rebutted them.

Other senior leaders who agree with Almeyda include ministerof Women, Alejandrina Germán and of Environment, Bautista Rojas.

Rodriguez recently called Almeyda a "killjoy, hallucinatoryand raving mad," for allegedly discrediting Medina’s win while campaigningfor ex-president Fernandez.

"The question is why Franklin Almeyda wants to discreditthe victory, because that’s what it’s about, is behaving like a killjoy, thatis, at a time when we’re all celebrating Danilo and the PLD’s victory in determinatecommunities and provinces, colleague Almeyda is behaving like a wet blanket andstarts to discredit this victory," said Rogues Marchena.