PLD HOPES FERNANDEZ WINS WITH SIXTY PERCENT

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 000389

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

WHA/CAR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV DR
SUBJECT: PLD HOPES FERNANDEZ WINS WITH SIXTY PERCENT
MAJORITY



1. (SBU) On March 6, The Ambassador, ECOPOL Counselor and
POLOFFS met with Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) leaders,
Francisco Javier Garcia Fernandez, National Campaign
Chairman, Cesar Torribio Pena, Presidential legal advisor,
and Reinaldo Pared Perez, President of the Senate, to hear
their viewpoint about the presidential elections.


2. (SBU) Garcia stated the campaign is going well for the PLD
and the polls show President Leonel Fernandez in the lead.
The recent Gallup poll shows Fernandez polling between
forty-nine to fifty-three percent, the Dominican
Revolutionary Party (PRD) candidate Miguel Vargas Maldonado
from thirty-one to thirty-eight percent, and the Social
Reformist Christian Party (PRSC) Amable Aristy Castro between
five to eight percent. Garcia believes Fernandez will win in
the first round. In fact, since the polls show Fernandez
doing so well, Garcia said that the PLD goal has gone beyond
just winning in the first round. The PLD hopes to win in the
first round with a sixty percent mandate.


3. (SBU) When queried about the Santo Domingo metro, Garcia
emphasized that the metro is part of Fernandez' continuing
efforts to improve transportation in the country, which began
during his first administration from 1996-2000. This
transportation improvement program included building tunnels,
overpasses, throughways, and sidewalks. Pared added that the
metro will provide a safe, secure, and reasonable mode of
transportation for Dominicans. Pared expected the fare to be
around US$0.60. (Note: He did not mention any government
subsidies that would clearly be required at this fare.) In
addition, the metro's route goes to the poorer neighborhoods
allowing residents easier access to schools, clinics, and
other services.


4. (SBU) Garcia continued the PLD's posture of denigrating
the PRD. Garcia questioned Vargas' source of wealth,
alleging that he paid for his summer villa worth US$20
million with sacks of cash. In addition, he highlighted that
in the PRD's allegations of Fernandez using public funds for
the campaign, the documentation the PRD presented were mere
newspaper clippings and copies of the administration's
previous budget and expenditure reports. Garcia also alleged
that the PRD is meeting with leftist groups such as the
Alternative Social Forum (FSA) to foment strikes, protests
and general unrest. (Note: The National Police violently
broke up a recent strike by medical doctors. In this strike,
the press reported groups such as the FSA and the
transportation union FENATRANO were involved in the strike.
End Note.)


5. (SBU) Garcia reiterated the PLD's request for the
Embassy's assistance in observing the elections to ensure
transparency. We have received similar requests from nearly
all Dominican actors.


6. (SBU) COMMENT: While Garcia dismissed the opposition's
charges regarding the use of government resources to favor
the incumbent; this is in fact a major issue. An
investigative press reporter recently revealed that the
government is paying salaries to PLD party members who work
only periodically. In addition, the independent democracy
NGO Participacion Ciudadana, in its first electoral
observation report (see SEPTEL),listed a series of means by
which government spending favors President Fernandez.
Garcia's response was to allege that Participacion Ciudadana
is biased in favor of the PRD, a charge which few here
believe. END COMMENT.
FANNIN