(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Dominican president Leonel Fernández could secure a new term in office this month, according to a poll by Asisa Research Group. 54.9 per cent of respondents would vote for the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) candidate in the election.

Miguel Vargas Maldonado of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) is second with 35.2 per cent, followed by Amable Aristy Castro of the Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC) with 5.4 per cent, and Eduardo Estrella of the Fourth Way (LCV) with less than one per cent.

In the May 2004 presidential election, Fernández received 57.11 per cent of the vote, defeating incumbent Hipólito Mejía of the PRD and Estrella of the PRSC. Fernández had previously served as the Dominican Republic’s head of state from 1996 to 2000.

On Apr. 29, Fernández said corruption and poverty are intertwined, declaring, "Corruption is an unending process, no society eliminates it completely. Haiti is seen as the most corrupt country and it’s also the poorest; Bolivia is second and it’s also the second poorest. (...) Chile is seen as the least corrupt in Latin America, because it’s also the richest. (...) Corruption would diminish [in the Dominican Republic] if development is reached."

The next presidential election is scheduled for May 16. A candidate requires more than 50 per cent of the vote to be elected in the first round.

Polling Data

Who would you vote for in the 2008 presidential election?

Source: Asisa Research Group
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,000 Dominican adults, conducted on Apr. 16 and Apr. 17, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

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