Medina won’t seek reelection, says ruling party cofounder

Santo Domingo.- A cofounder of Dominican Republic’s ruling party (PLD) revealed Monday that president Danilo Medina authorized him to say that he won’t seek reelection in the 2020 polls.

Felix (Felucho) Jiménez, interviewed on AN7 TV, said the president made the request in a recent meeting with PLD leaders to address the case of Odebrecht’s bribes.

The also member of the PLD’s Political Committee said at that meeting Medina disavowed any senior leader who promotes  his reelection.

“Put a stop to that already, they’ve never had my authorization. I will not campaign to stay in 2020 and I, authorize you Felucho, in your next appearance before the media, to say in my name that Danilo Medina is not going to aspire to his candidacy of the PLD; that Danilo will retire August 16 of the year 2020 to his house,” said the also CEO of the State-owned refinery Refidomsa.

Broken pledge

The revelation attributed to Medina is the second denial of seeking reelection in as many years, the first in late 2015 when he compared a second bid to “having to eat an entire putrid crocodile without burping.”