Extent of the PRD - PLD pact will be defined after the reform

SANTO DOMINGO. Although it is expected that the president of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) will speak this week regarding the political pact that was reached with the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), the extent of this pact will be defined after the culmination of the process of the modification of the Constitution in order to include presidential reelection for two consecutive periods.

The information was offered yesterday by the PLD director Danilo Diaz, one of the commissioners who are working on the agreement, and who assured reporters that they have still not formalized the commission and neither have they discussed the content.

"There is nothing concrete. Anything that I'd tell you now is speculation at this time, in relation to the content of the pact, because we have still not formalized the commissions."

He indicated that while it is true that they have agreed to reach a concrete electoral agreement, this in itself is not been discussed and that the vote of the PRD legislators in favor of reelection, both in the Chamber of Deputies as well as in the National Review Assembly on Saturday, was done based on the prospect of an agreement.

In answer to the question regarding when the commission would be working, Diaz answered: "We think that it will be after this process which is being discussed, after the process of the reform is when we will begin to work on this, since before ending the reform process there is nothing on the calendar."

He indicated that the agreement implicates more than 4000 candidacies and that; therefore, it will take time to be able to do all the "carpentry" necessary.

Last week, the national Communications director of the PRD, Victor Gomez Casanova, reported that the president of the party, Miguel Vargas Maldonado, would speak regarding the details of the agreement, and would convene the party leadership organs in order to deal with this issue.

Up until now they have said that, as part of the agreement, they guarantee the PRD the candidacies at the congressional and municipal level in the jurisdictions which they currently dominate.

In addition they would elevate to provinces what are now the municipalities of North Santo Domingo and West Santo Domingo, in order for the PRD to be able to present two candidates for Senator.

Another of the versions which have come up regarding the PRD - PLD agreement is that this organization would put the presidential candidate of the PLD on its ballot. But according to Diaz, until now, all this is speculation.

The Secretary-General of the PLD, Reinaldo Pared Perez, pointed out "that for the Dominican Liberation Party to sign an alliance agreement with the PRD, the oldest party in the Dominican electoral system, would be an unprecedented event."