Luis Abinader completes five years in power: what do the experts say?

SANTO DOMINGO.– Five years have passed since President Luis Abinader was sworn in at the National Assembly, amid a panorama of ups and downs.

His term has prompted various assessments. In the political arena, political scientist Belarminio Ramírez believes the Government faces the challenge of demonstrating effectiveness in the remaining years.

Ramírez stated that, in the three years remaining in office, the president’s priority must be to “complete the projects that have been started, finish the unfinished reforms, and improve performance in the state’s core responsibilities: education, health, electricity, drinking water, and transportation.”

The political science expert believes the Government must review its own commitments, recalling that “it is necessary to balance the work carried out with the promises of the 2020 and 2024 campaigns.” In his opinion, without this self-assessment, credibility could be eroded.

Along those same lines, he emphasized that transparency will be key to maintaining social trust. “The government must improve management and demonstrate to the population that the money has been spent wisely over the past five years. This is the only way to maintain high levels of trust,” he said.

Ramírez warned that time is becoming a critical factor for the current administration, as “until now, much effort has been devoted to persuading the population that previous governments were bad, and now they have time to demonstrate that they are good based on results.”

In economic terms, Ng Cortiñas emphasized that Abinader’s five-year tenure in the presidential chair has left a landscape marked by imbalances.

As he explained, “based on fieldwork metrics, it could be predicted that the economy is doing poorly, or at least not well,” based on surveys that reflect a negative perception among citizens.

One of the key issues, according to the economist, is debt. “From August 16, 2020, to June 2025, debt rose from US$39.178 billion to US$60.954 billion, meaning that each Dominican went from carrying US$3,750 to US$5,543 in personal debt,” he explained.

The specialist also highlighted the impact on public spending. “The majority of the RD$5.6 trillion spent in five years was allocated to current expenditure, which has decreased from 86.2% in 2020 to 91.1% in 2025, which demonstrates a lower quality of public investment,” he noted.

Regarding inflation and the cost of living, Ng Cortiñas noted that between August 2020 and July 2025, the cumulative rate was 30.35%, which increased the price of the basic food basket by RD$10,957. Although he acknowledged that the formal minimum wage has improved, he asserted that “informal workers cannot say the same, due to their instability and lower income.”

Looking ahead, Belarminio Ramírez stated that the Government cannot continue to base its strategy on comparing its performance with the past. “Now it must demonstrate with actions, not words, that it has done better, that people are living better, that there are more and better jobs, more and better education and healthcare. That is the great challenge,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Ng Cortiñas maintained that the country faces an urgent need to rethink its development model. “The Dominican Republic needs to refocus its economic strategy, improving the quality of spending, promoting the formalization of employment, and adopting responsible fiscal planning,” he recommended.

The political scientist added that if the Government fails to convince citizens that the change was worth it, “then the Dominican Republic will be heading down a dangerous path, because all the parties will be left in ruins.”

PRM postpones celebration

The  Modern Revolutionary Party  (PRM) announced the postponement of the meeting to commemorate President Luis Abinader’s fifth anniversary in office, at the president’s request.

“The Modern Revolutionary Party informs our members and leaders that due to weather conditions, the celebration of President Luis Abinader’s 5-year term in office, scheduled for this Sunday, August 17, at the Nuevo Domingo Savio Sports Center, has been postponed,” a statement said.

The event was rescheduled for next Friday, August 22, at 4:00 p.m. at the Nuevo Domingo Savio Sports Center, but it has also been postponed, with no date announced until now.