Opposition candidate 48.7%; ex-president 38.4%: poll

Santo Domingo.- on Monday released a survey in which major opposition party (PRM) presidential candidate Luis Abinader obtains 48.7% of the votes while former president Leonel Fernández, pre-candidate of the ruling party (PLD), reaches 38.4%.

The nationwide survey by Peruvian pollster ABC Marketing made from November 11 to 17 among 1,500 people of voting age found that in the event of a second round, Abinader would obtain 57.9% to Fernández’s 40.1%.

As to other potential opposition candidates the survey found that former president Hipólito Mejía has 4.2%; Ramfis Trujillo 3.7%; Guillermo Moreno 2.5%; Miguel Vargas 1.2%; Minou Tavárez Mirabal 0.8%; Quique Antún 0.7%; Pelegrín Castillo 0.4% and Elías Wessin 0.1%.

ABC Marketing general manager Juan Carlos Maldonado provided the figures on Monday in a press conference in the Barceló Santo Domingo hotel.

Maldonado said the nationwide survey has a margin of error of + or – 2.5% and a confidence level of 95%.

The country’s ills

The study reveals that for 32.3% of those interviewed, crime is the country’s most daunting challenge, followed by the high cost of living 25.4%; unemployment 15.3%; 10.9% corruption; drug trafficking 7.9%; blackouts 5.8%; lack of medicines 1.4%; public transport 0.7% and Haitian immigration 0.3%.