Abel Martínez, presidential candidate for the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), has proposed that the country's main opposition leaders begin talks now to set rules and a shared strategy in case the coming presidential election goes to a second round.
Martínez made the proposal during a meeting with party leaders, community figures and supporters in Juan López, a district of Moca. He said every opposition organization has the right to campaign to win outright in the first round, but argued it was necessary to agree in advance on what would happen if no candidate secures enough votes to avoid a runoff.
He said opposition leaders needed to sit down together, set aside any egos, establish clear rules and keep the peace among themselves.
Backing the party that advances
Martínez proposed that if a second round does take place, the other opposition parties should throw their support behind whichever organization manages to advance to that stage. He stressed the idea was not an early electoral alliance and was not meant to limit the ambitions of other parties, but rather to set up a mechanism now that would prevent divisions and disputes once the first-round results are known.
He said every party should still work to finish first, adding that his own camp intends to strengthen the PLD so it can win and lead the presidential ticket.
Call to strengthen the PLD
Martínez argued that waiting until after the first-round results to begin such talks could spark conflict within the opposition, which is why he believes the rules should be agreed beforehand.
He also urged PLD members to work on strengthening the party and to stay engaged with local communities. He said the PLD needed to come out of the process strengthened, united and connected with voters, and pledged to keep travelling to communities to build the support needed to win.
The PLD, one of the Dominican Republic's established political parties, was founded by former president Juan Bosch. Martínez made the proposal as part of a political tour of communities across the country tied to his bid to lead the PLD's presidential candidacy in the upcoming elections.
