(Francesco Spotorno, AFP)
Outgoing head of state Luis Abinader, a hard-line advocate on immigration from Haiti, was re-elected for a new four-year mandate in the first round of the presidential elections on May 19.
“The people have expressed themselves clearly, and I will not disappoint their expectations,” Abinader, who was the big favorite in the vote, declared in front of his supporters.
“I am and will be the president of all Dominicans,” added Abinader, who has made the fight against Haitian immigration, often associated with crime, one of the strong points of his presidency.
Haiti, with which the much more prosperous Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola, is sinking into an unprecedented crisis fueled by the violence of criminal gangs.
According to the partial results of the presidential elections, with 25.52 percent of the ballots counted, Abinader obtained 58.87 percent of the votes, against 27.25 percent for former president Leonel Fernández. Abel Martínez came third with 10.60 percent.
“I just called President Abinader to congratulate him,” Fernández wrote on the social network X. “I wish him every success.”
The Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), the centre-left formation led by Abinader, should also obtain a majority in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
According to polls, around 70 percent of Dominicans approve of Abinader’s actions and in particular his hard line towards Haiti.
Since taking office in 2020, the president has stepped up his stance against Haitian migrants and ordered the construction of a wall along part of the border with Haiti.
During the election campaign, Abinader also boasted of the good economic results, citing “high growth, inflation under control and low unemployment”. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund forecast a 5 percent increase in GDP by 2024.
