Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07SANTODOMINGO1501
2007-06-22 14:30:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Santo Domingo
Cable title:
DOMINICAN POLITICS III #27: REFORMISTAS CHOOSE
how-toVZCZCXYZ0013 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHDG #1501 1731430 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 221430Z JUN 07 FM AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8590 INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHWN/AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN PRIORITY 2071 RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0779 RUEHGE/AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN PRIORITY 0979 RUEHKG/AMEMBASSY KINGSTON PRIORITY 2757 RUEHPO/AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO PRIORITY 1113 RUEHPU/AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE PRIORITY 4642 RUEHSP/AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN PRIORITY 1817 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY 1672 RUCOWCV/CUSTOMS CARIBBEAN ATTACHE MIAMI FL PRIORITY RUEFHLC/HQS DHS WASHDC PRIORITY RUMISTA/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY
UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 001501
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CAR, INR/IAA; USSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD;
TREASURY FOR OASIA-JLEVINE; DEPT PASS USDA FOR FAS; USDOC
FOR 4322/ITA/MAC/WH/CARIBBEAN BASIN DIVISION; USDOC FOR
3134/ITA/USFCS/RD/WH; DHS FOR CIS-CARLOS ITURREGUI
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: DR PGOV
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN POLITICS III #27: REFORMISTAS CHOOSE
ARISTY CASTRO FOR 2008 PRESIDENTIAL RACE
UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 001501
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CAR, INR/IAA; USSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD;
TREASURY FOR OASIA-JLEVINE; DEPT PASS USDA FOR FAS; USDOC
FOR 4322/ITA/MAC/WH/CARIBBEAN BASIN DIVISION; USDOC FOR
3134/ITA/USFCS/RD/WH; DHS FOR CIS-CARLOS ITURREGUI
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: DR PGOV
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN POLITICS III #27: REFORMISTAS CHOOSE
ARISTY CASTRO FOR 2008 PRESIDENTIAL RACE
1. (U) This is the 27th cable in our series on Dominican
politics in the third year of the administration of President
Leonel Fernandez.
Politics III, 27:
AMABLE'S THE ONE
On June 10 the Reformed Social Christian Party (PRSC or
&reformistas8) chose Amable Aristy Castro as its
presidential candidate for the May, 2008 election. The final
vote tally in the nationwide party primary, announced on June
12, was 55.21 percent for Aristy and 41.51percent for Eduardo
Estrella, the PRSC candidate in 2004.
Estrella,s campaign manager was a sore loser. He said that
the Aristy win was &imposed by spending.8 That was in fact
the general opinion on the conduct of the PRSC election, in
contrast to the candidate,s disingenuous slogan &The
President of the Poor.8 Many thought that Aristy, president
of the flush League of Municipalities, had used or misused
funds both for campaigning and on election day, by paying
supporters to go to the polls and by bribing others to stay
away. Over the past week op-ed commentators have deployed
Aristy,s crass tactic during the campaign of tossing
handfuls of 100-peso notes out of the League,s helicopter.
The final tally had 356,755 votes, of which 192,864 went for
Aristy, 144,994 for Eduardo Estrella, and 11,458 (3.28%) for
Luis Toral. Toral was seen close by Aristy,s side on voting
day and in the events that followed. Party president Enrique
(Quique) Antn called for all to respect the results.
Losing candidate Eduardo Estrella was scathing when he made
public remarks on the morning of June 13. &Apparently the
clientism offered was overwhelming, arising from the
imperfections of democracy, the deterioration of the
political system, poverty, and a society that is falling
apart.8 He said that he was beginning a "process of
consultations and reflection.8 Since then, analysts have
asserted that Estrella's followers will by and large refuse
to vote for Amable, making his at best a Pyrrhic victory.
Nothing daunted, Aristy Castro, Luis Toral and other
supporters made a pilgrimage to the Santo Domingo cemetery
where party founder Joaqun Balaguer is buried. Aristy
Castro brushed off reporters, questions, asserting that he
had not listened to Estrella,s speech. He said that he
would probably be open to electoral alliances ) marking out
the reformista hope of becoming a swing party in a close
contest between the PLD,s Leonel Fernndez and the PRD
candidate Miguel Vargas Maldonado.
That might be harder than it appears. The Penn Shofeld poll
on political affairs just published by HOY newspapers
indicates that Amable Aristy Castro scores the highest number
of negative perceptions of any Dominican politician. Of
those polled, 54 percent expressed a negative opinion of him.
2. (U) Drafted by Michael Meigs.
3. (U) This report and extensive other material can be
consulted on our SIPRNET site,
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/santodomingo/
OLTYAN
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CAR, INR/IAA; USSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD;
TREASURY FOR OASIA-JLEVINE; DEPT PASS USDA FOR FAS; USDOC
FOR 4322/ITA/MAC/WH/CARIBBEAN BASIN DIVISION; USDOC FOR
3134/ITA/USFCS/RD/WH; DHS FOR CIS-CARLOS ITURREGUI
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: DR PGOV
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN POLITICS III #27: REFORMISTAS CHOOSE
ARISTY CASTRO FOR 2008 PRESIDENTIAL RACE
1. (U) This is the 27th cable in our series on Dominican
politics in the third year of the administration of President
Leonel Fernandez.
Politics III, 27:
AMABLE'S THE ONE
On June 10 the Reformed Social Christian Party (PRSC or
&reformistas8) chose Amable Aristy Castro as its
presidential candidate for the May, 2008 election. The final
vote tally in the nationwide party primary, announced on June
12, was 55.21 percent for Aristy and 41.51percent for Eduardo
Estrella, the PRSC candidate in 2004.
Estrella,s campaign manager was a sore loser. He said that
the Aristy win was &imposed by spending.8 That was in fact
the general opinion on the conduct of the PRSC election, in
contrast to the candidate,s disingenuous slogan &The
President of the Poor.8 Many thought that Aristy, president
of the flush League of Municipalities, had used or misused
funds both for campaigning and on election day, by paying
supporters to go to the polls and by bribing others to stay
away. Over the past week op-ed commentators have deployed
Aristy,s crass tactic during the campaign of tossing
handfuls of 100-peso notes out of the League,s helicopter.
The final tally had 356,755 votes, of which 192,864 went for
Aristy, 144,994 for Eduardo Estrella, and 11,458 (3.28%) for
Luis Toral. Toral was seen close by Aristy,s side on voting
day and in the events that followed. Party president Enrique
(Quique) Antn called for all to respect the results.
Losing candidate Eduardo Estrella was scathing when he made
public remarks on the morning of June 13. &Apparently the
clientism offered was overwhelming, arising from the
imperfections of democracy, the deterioration of the
political system, poverty, and a society that is falling
apart.8 He said that he was beginning a "process of
consultations and reflection.8 Since then, analysts have
asserted that Estrella's followers will by and large refuse
to vote for Amable, making his at best a Pyrrhic victory.
Nothing daunted, Aristy Castro, Luis Toral and other
supporters made a pilgrimage to the Santo Domingo cemetery
where party founder Joaqun Balaguer is buried. Aristy
Castro brushed off reporters, questions, asserting that he
had not listened to Estrella,s speech. He said that he
would probably be open to electoral alliances ) marking out
the reformista hope of becoming a swing party in a close
contest between the PLD,s Leonel Fernndez and the PRD
candidate Miguel Vargas Maldonado.
That might be harder than it appears. The Penn Shofeld poll
on political affairs just published by HOY newspapers
indicates that Amable Aristy Castro scores the highest number
of negative perceptions of any Dominican politician. Of
those polled, 54 percent expressed a negative opinion of him.
2. (U) Drafted by Michael Meigs.
3. (U) This report and extensive other material can be
consulted on our SIPRNET site,
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/santodomingo/
OLTYAN