What clinched it?

[Chirimoya]

What do people think was the deciding factor for the electors?

I know there are many reasons for people to vote against the PRD but what do you think was the main reason for the electorate's massive rejection of Hippo and co?

Chiri

[Escott]

Massive theft? Waiting to hear if Leonel will throw his *** in jail!

Then he will be my man!

[Conchman]

IMO, the exchange rate going up to 56 in January did him in, and people's view of what this does to the economy and their personal lives.

[suarezn]

Here's the main reason why Leonel didn't have to go to a second round:

The alliances he made with the BIS, FNP and others.

If you look at the results, Leonel only got a little bit over 48% (just as I predicted...Ha), but by adding the votes of these other parties he wins in the first round. What does this mean? Huge payout for the members of these parties. The BIS (Pena Gomez son's party) will get huge benefits from this. So there you have it...

[Porfio_Rubirosa]

Originally Posted by Chirimoya

What do people think was the deciding factor for the electors?

Hambre.

There was hunger under Balaguer too, but his aid was non-partisan. A TRUE populist. With Hippo's crew, you had to lambone like crazy, and then you'd get practically nothing anyway. Plus, back then, nobody then knew that anything better was possible.

[bochinche]

spot on porfio.....dominicans vote with their stomachs.

[Chirimoya]

That's what embittered PRD supporters are saying, that the electorate voted with their stomachs, and that they are under the misconception that prices will go down now, because of the campaign ads for the PLD with lists of prices of basic items under Leonel compared to how much they are costing now. I hope people are not that naive, and that Leonel will know how to get this across.

I would have prefer to think that all the blatant manoeuverings with changing the constitution and bulldozing the process of the selection of presidential candidate were major factors, but people seem to think that politics is by definition a dirty business where anything goes. Same goes for corruption "because they all do it".

Editing to add - I wrote this before I saw bochinche's post. But I wouldn't go as far to call it spooky!

Chiri

[Tony C]

Originally Posted by bochinche

spot on porfio.....dominicans vote with their stomachs.

If that is true why did they vote out the PLD in the first place? Leonel reigned over one the greatest periods of economic growth in Dominican History yet Dominicans voted for the Party that the last time was in power was probably the most corrupt in D.R.....until this one. Also the last time the Peso devalued by 50% was when the PRd was in power as well.
So if it isn't their stomachs or their Brains what is it?

I think we have reached a point in Dominican History that every election will see a change in the party in power.

[Porfio_Rubirosa]

Originally Posted by Tony C

If that is true why did they vote out the PLD in the first place?

That's a fair question. Perhaps it would be better to say that hungry Dominicans vote with their stomachs. From '96 to '00, they weren't hungry, so they voted for what they hoped would be a gravy train.

Short of raping and pillaging, Hippo's government was the worst conceivable, yet the PRD still received 35% of the vote. This means the PRD is far from dead; rather, they start with 35% at each election. The other two parties start with about 10% core support.

What's so odd about the never ending shifts from and to populist governments in the DR that Tony is predicting is that the statist party in the DR - the PRSC - is so weak compared to other Latin American countries with the same dynamic.

[amable]

Originally Posted by Porfio_Rubirosa

That's a fair question. Perhaps it would be better to say that hungry Dominicans vote with their stomachs. From '96 to '00, they weren't hungry, so they voted for what they hoped would be a gravy train.

Short of raping and pillaging, Hippo's government was the worst conceivable, yet the PRD still received 35% of the vote. This means the PRD is far from dead; rather, they start with 35% at each election. The other two parties start with about 10% core support.

What's so odd about the never ending shifts from and to populist governments that Tony is predicting is that the statist party in the DR - the PRSC - is so weak.

There are somethings you have to consider on this comment:
1) The PLD goverment was unimaginably better than what the country had ever seen, but, it introduced many rules and modernized the state to a point that people were not used to see and gave the impression that the law would finally be enforced in all it's aspects, this is scary for many people who live off the uncertainty and ignorance.

2) Many dominicans belong to a party by tradition and therefore, regardless of the situation (economic, security, social stagnation or progress) they would vote for the candidate which represents their party.
Many of my aunts were staunch supporters of the PRD although not openly admitting they supported Hippo, they would critizise those who critizise the goverment.

3) Remember that the 35% PRD you see in the results also includes the inmense government payroll who have absolutely no say on democracy. That's the way it has always been, government employees are there for 4 years unless their party stays in power. This is one of the aspects that the previous PLD administration attempted and to some point changed, giving the civil servants as they are called, some job security from the uncertainty of changing governments. The argument was that the state would train the people and 4 years later they would have to go because their party was changing, therefore a great amount of resources would be wasted, productivity would be coerced because these employees would have to spend most of their time in politics rather than the function for which they are there.

At least, that's how I was told it is....