Dominican Republic: information on the elections for the position of President of the Partido Revolucionario Dominicano (PRD), including the dates of the election and the results; information on an incident of corruption and/or a riot which took place during the January 27, 2013 election, including individuals who were implicated, if there were accusations further to that incident, and potential consequences (January-September 2013)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Publication Date | 3 December 2013 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | DOM104683.FE |
| Related Document(s) | République dominicaine : information sur les élections pour le poste de président du Parti révolutionnaire dominicain (Partido Revolucionario Dominicano - PRD), y compris les dates des votes et les résultats; information sur un incident de corruption et/ou une émeute qui aurait eu lieu lors d'un vote le 27 janvier 2013, y compris sur les personnes impliquées, les accusations qui auraient été portées en lien avec cet incident, et la suite donnée aux accusations (janvier-septembre 2013) |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Dominican Republic: information on the elections for the position of President of the Partido Revolucionario Dominicano (PRD), including the dates of the election and the results; information on an incident of corruption and/or a riot which took place during the January 27, 2013 election, including individuals who were implicated, if there were accusations further to that incident, and potential consequences (January-September 2013), 3 December 2013, DOM104683.FE , available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/52ce99274.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
1. Dominican Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Dominicano, PRD)
According to the 2013 Political Handbook of the World (PHW), the Dominican Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Dominicano, PRD) was created as a "left-democratic" party in 1939 (2013, 7). The Associated Press (AP) indicates that the PRD is considered to be "center-left" (27 Jan. 2013). The PHW lists the following leaders of the PRD:
Miguel Vargas Maldonado (2008 presidential candidate and President of the Party), Hipólito Mejía Domingues (2012 presidential candidate and Former President of the Republic) and Orlando Jorge Mera (Secretary General). (PHW 2013, 7)
1.1 Elections
Sources indicated that Hipólito Mejía, who is a former president of the Dominican Republic (BBC 22 May 2012; PHW 2013, 7), was selected over Vargas in March 2011 by the PRD to be the party's candidate for the presidential elections in 2012 (ibid.). The Dominican Political Observatory (Observatorio Político Dominicano, OPD), a Santo Domingo-based initiative of the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (FUNGLODE, Fundación Global, Democracia y Desarollo) (OPD n.d.), similarly indicates that PRD members voted on 6 March 2011 to elect the candidate for the presidential elections in 2012 (ibid. 20 Apr. 2011). The Global Foundation for Democracy and Development is an NGO that aims to promote human rights and democracy in the Dominican Republic (FUNGLODE n.d.). The OPD reports that in PRD elections, Mejía won with 53 percent of the vote over Vargas, who had 47 percent of the vote (OPD 20 Apr. 2011). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
In the 2012 presidential elections, Mejía lost with 47 percent of the vote to Danilo Median of the Dominican Liberation Party who secured the presidency with 51 percent of the vote (PHW 2013, 3; Election Guide 20 May 2012; AP 27 Jan. 2013). BBC reports that Mejía accused Mr. Vargas of forming a pact with Mr. Medina and trying to "oust" him as a party leader (BBC 27 Jan. 2013). Media sources state that Mejía "blamed" his loss on Vargas (ibid.; AP 27 Jan. 2013). According to AP, "Mejia had sought to control the party ever since he beat Vargas in the 2011 primaries, which Vargas claimed were rigged" (ibid.). The BBC writes that Mejía and Vargas "have been fighting over the leadership of the party for more than a year" (27 Jan. 2013).
Media sources indicate that in 2013 Miguel Vargas is the president of the PRD (El Caribe 1 Dec. 2013; El Nacional 27 Sept. 2013; AP 27 Jan. 2013). Information on when Miguel Vargas became the president of the PRD could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
2. PRD Issues
Sources report that Hipólito Mejía was expelled from the PRD at the beginning of January 2013 for "insubordination" (BBC 27 Jan. 2013; AP 27 Jan. 2013). AP explains that a disciplinary panel found Mejía to be guilty of "divisiveness and promoting actions for personal benefit" (ibid.). Three other politicians were expelled from the party (BBC 27 Jan. 2013) for the "same reasons" as Mejía (AP 27 Jan. 2013).
2.1 27 January 2013 Incident
Sources report that on 27 January 2013 six people were wounded by gunfire after violence broke out at headquarters of the PRD (BBC 27 Jan. 2013) in Santo Domingo (AP 27 Jan. 2013). Acento, a Santo Domingo-based news agency, reports that there were eight injured persons, including ex-Deputies Ángel Acosta, Adrés De León, Sócrates Ureña and other leaders from the PRD (28 Jan. 2013).
AP reports that violence broke out when Mejía's supporters "attempted to take over the party's offices in Santo Domingo during a Sunday meeting of party organizers" (AP 27 Jan. 2013). Noticias SIN, a Santo-Domingo based news agency (Noticias SIN n.d.), explains that confrontations between supporters of Vargas and supporters of Mejía started in the morning of 27 January 2013 when the PRD's president Vargas scheduled a meeting of the National Executive Committee (Comité Ejecutivo Nacional, CEN) of the PRD to [translation] "ratify" the expulsion of Mejía and Bautista and suspensions of Mera and Vásquez (Noticias SIN 27 Jan. 2013). Las Calientes del Sur, a San Juan de la Maguana-based electronic newspaper (Las Calientes del Sur 27 Aug. 2009), similarly states that shooting occurred between supporters of Mejía and supporters of Vargas (ibid. 27 Jan. 2013). According to the BBC, a "group of people stormed the meeting and television pictures showed men hitting each other with plastic chairs while another man could be seen limping away with a gunshot wound to his leg" (27 Jan. 2013).
Sources report that Miguel Vargas blamed the incident on Hipólito Mejía (BBC 27 Jan. 2013; AP 27 Jan. 2013) stating that "the mob was 'hired and directed' by Mejia" (ibid.). According to the BBC, Mejía denied these allegations (27 Jan. 2013). AP reported on 27 January 2013 that, according to a police spokesman, "authorities have taken control of the party's headquarters" and detectives were investigating (AP 27 Jan. 2013). The BBC also reported that police would investigate (27 Jan. 2013). Diario Libre, a Santo Domingo-based newspaper, reports that Miguel Vargas and Hipólito Mejía had two meetings to discuss an internal agreement of the PRD (Diario Libre 6 May 2013). According to Diario Libre, the last meeting took place in April 2013, but Mejía and Vargas did not come to an agreement at that time (ibid.). Further information on the incident and the results of the investigation could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Acento [Santo Domingo]. 28 janvier 2013. Máximo Laureano. "Ministerio Público investiga el tiroteo de la Casa Nacional del PRD." [Accessed 26 Nov. 2013]
Associated Press (AP). 27 January 2013. "Police: 6 Wounded by Gunfire During Melee at Headquarters of Main Dominican Opposition Party." [Accessed 29 Nov. 2013]
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 27 January 2013. "Dominican Republic PRD Party HQ Gunfight Injures Six." [Accessed 28 Nov. 2013]
_____. 22 May 2012. "Dominican Republic Vote: Hipolito Mejia Decries Result." [Accessed 28 Nov. 2013]
Diario Libre [Santo Domingo]. 6 May 2013. "Hipólito Mejía habla sobre su reunión con Miguel Vargas." [Accessed 2 Dec. 2013]
El Caribe [Santo Domingo]. 1 December 2013. "Miguel Vargas: al gobierno se le hace tarde para coger el toro por los cuernos." (Factiva)
Election Guide. 20 May 2012. Election Profile: Dominican Republic. Results of the Presidential Elections of 20 May 2012. [Accessed 29 Nov. 2013]
El Nacional [Santo Domingo]. 27 September 2013. Alberto Caminero. "Vargas expone en OEA necesidad Ley Partidos." (Factiva)
FUNGLODE, Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo. N.d. "Sobre FUNGLODE." [Accessed 2 Dec. 2013]
Las Calientes del Sur. [San Juan de la Maguana]. 27 January 2013. "Tremendo tiroteo en Casa Nacional PRD; hay varios heridos." [Accessed 28 Nov. 2013]
_____. 27 August 2009. "Editora: Lascalientesdelsur.net." [Accessed 2 Dec. 2013]
Noticias SIN [Santo Domingo]. 27 January 2013."¡Lío en la Casa Nacional PRD!" [Accessed 26 Nov. 2013]
_____. N.d. "Quienes somos?" [Accessed 2 Dec. 2013]
Observatorio Político Dominicano (OPD). 20 April 2011. "Unidad de Partidos Políticos." [Accessed 1 Dec. 2013]
_____. N.d. "Presentación." [Accessed 2 Dec. 2013]
Political Handbook of the World (PHW) 2013. 2013. "Dominican Republic." Edited by Tom Lansdorf. Washington, DC: CQ Press. [Accessed 29 Nov. 2013]
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: Attempts to contact the following organizations were unsuccessful within the time constraints of this Response: Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos, Instituto de Derechos Humanos, Partido Revolucionario Dominicano and Procuraduría del Distrito Nacional.
Internet sites, including: Agence France-Presse; Al Momento; Amnesty International; Despertar Dominicano; Diario de Centro América; Diario Libre; Dominican Republic - Ministerio Público, Presidencia; Dominicana On Line; Dominicanos Hoy; ecoi.net; Factiva; Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme; Freedom House; Hoy Digital; Instituto Latinoamericano de Ombudsman; Listin Diario; Mundo Visión; Noticias SIN; Noticias Telemicro; El Nuevo Diario; Partido Revolucionario Dominicano; RT News; En Segundos; United Nations - Refworld; United States - Department of State; De la Zona Oriental.
