Leonel Fernández

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Leonel Fernández
Leonel Fernández
Incumbent
Assumed office 
16 August 2004
Vice President Rafael Alburquerque
Preceded by Hipólito Mejía
In office
16 August 1996 – 16 August 2000
Vice President Jaime David Fernández Mirabal
Preceded by Joaquín Balaguer
Succeeded by Hipólito Mejía
Born 26 December 1953 (1953-12-26) (age 54)
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Political party PLD
Spouse Margarita Cedeño de Fernández

Leonel Antonio Fernández Reyna (born 26 December 1953) is a Dominican politician and the current president of the Dominican Republic. He was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, but spent his childhood and formative years in Washington Heights, New York City, New York, USA.

He joined the PLD at its inception in 1973, when the late Juan Bosch left the PRD to create the new party. Fernández was a close pupil of Bosch, and was presented as a vice-president candidate with the latter during the 1990 presidential elections.

Contents

[edit] First Presidential Period (1996-2000)

A special election was slated for May 1996 after the 1994 Presidential Election had been widely criticized as a fraudulent and corrupt circus led by incumbent president Joaquin Balaguer of the Reformist Social Christian Party (PRSC). At the time Fernández was the vice presidential candidate on the PLD ticket alongside former president Juan Bosch. The Dominican constitution states that a candidate must capture a majority of votes (50% plus one) in order to be declared winner. If no candidate were to reach that amount, then a second round of voting must be held, where the only eligible candidates would be the winner and the runner-up of the first round.

In the first-round election on 16 May 1996 he received 38.9% of the vote in a three-way race, placing second behind José Francisco Peña Gómez of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD). In the second round on 30 June, however, the PLD and PRSC agreed to an alliance for that round, and he secured 51.2% of the votes to win the election and was subsequently sworn in as president on August 16, succeeding incumbent President Balaguer. It was his alliance with Balaguer, to take the election from Fernandez's mentor, Juan Bosch, that helped secure the presidency for Fernández and his PLD party.

During his term in office, Fernández's political agenda was one of economic and critical reform. He helped enhance Dominican participation in hemispheric forums, such as the Organization of American States and the Miami Summit. The Dominican economy enjoyed an average growth rate of seven percent, the highest in Latin American in that period, along with countries like South Korea. Inflation was stabilized in the low single digits, the lowest in all of Latin America. He served a four-year term as president between 1996 and 2000.

Fernández also began a very personal and visionary plan to run the Dominican Republic. When developers proposed the country's first modern port during his first term, he said that "We can be the Singapore of the Caribbean".[1]

In Santo Domingo, he built highways and tunnels and favored foreign investment, but delayed fundamental social reforms, like education and public health.[citation needed]

Fernandez wasn't able to run for a second term (the constitution did not allow it) and thus, his party chose his right-hand man, Danilo Medina, as candidate for the 2000 election. However, Medina would go on to be defeated by a charismatic populist PRD leader, Hipólito Mejía, who captured the popular sentiment at the time, as many Dominicans felt that the Fernández reforms had not improved their lives greatly, and questioned claims of unprecedented economic growth.[citation needed]

[edit] Second Presidential Period (2004-2008)

President Leonel Fernández and his wife, Dominican First Lady Margarita Cedeño de Fernández
President Leonel Fernández and his wife, Dominican First Lady Margarita Cedeño de Fernández

Fernández was elected to a second term of office in the presidential election held on 16 May 2004 with an absolute majority with the second highest percentage ever in Dominican history (57%), representing the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD). His victory was due in large part to the collapse of the Dominican economy. This collapse has been attributed to skyrocketing oil prices and a slumping international economy post-9/11, excessive borrowing under the Mejía administration and the failure of three of the biggest banks in the country: Banco Intercontinental (Baninter), Bancrédito and Banco Mercantil. In an effort to avoid further economic chaos, the Mejía administration effectively underwrote all three banks, repaying their customers but generating even greater public debt. Some of the bankers involved have been or are on trial, yet the extent of their fraud is hard to measure as their widespread largess with officials within both the Fernández and Mejía administrations has made it nearly impossible to achieve a true accounting of what conditions led to their demise.

Leonel Fernández was sworn in for a second time on 16 August 2004. He is seen by many Dominicans as a forward and innovative thinker yet he is considered very traditional regarding social investment. According to local sociologist José Oviedo, "The country trusts him with the economy, but he does not seem to pay that much attention to social issues." Economic prosperity, which his government boasts of, doesn't seem to reach enough people. [2]

Many argue that his tight focus on technological development is often at the expense of basic needs such as food, health, and education and judicial reforms. Perhaps Fernández's biggest issue during both terms in office is his inability to resolve the country's chronic energy problems, as well as his unwillingness to contend with governmental clientelism and corruption. His position as legal counsel for the failed Banco Intercontinental during its spectacular collapse brings to light his possible participation in the bank's alleged government influence peddling. And despite his rhetorical intolerance of corruption, Fernández hasn't seriously challenged the country's long-standing culture of impunity enjoyed by thieving élites. According to political analyst Pedro Catrain, "Leonel is the most capable politician we have, and he understands very well what the country needs to do to modernize, but politically he is proving to be very traditional, indulging in the most perverse forms of Dominican politics, paternalism and corruption."

[edit] The Santo Domingo Metro

Equally controversial is the fact that Fernández is spending almost as much in building one subway line--$700 million--as it does on education and health together. Moreover, Dominicans still don't know how much this subway will cost as there was no clear budget and no previous geological studies. When the political journalist, Luis Eduardo Lora, requested the documents and studies that supported the subway line construction, the government refused to make them public citing National Defense issues. Finally, almost a year later and due to a Supreme Court decision, Lora received the documents, which were said to be inaccurate and incomplete. [3]

[edit] Cabinet

These are the current ministers of the cabinet, named as State Secretaries: [4]

[edit] Changes in the cabinet

  • Secretary of the Presidency: None
  • General Procurator of the Republic: Radhamés Jiménez Peña (16 August 2006) [5]
  • Secretary of Agriculture: Salvador Jiménez (16 August 2006) [6]
  • Secretary of Armed Forces: Lieutenant General Ramón Antonio Aquino García (16 August 2006) [7]
  • Secretary of Public Health and Social Assistancy: Bautista Rojas Gómez
  • Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources: Omar Ramírez (20 August 2007) [8]
  • Secretary of Public Works: Víctor Díaz Rua (20 August 2007) [9]
  • Secretary of Industry and Commerce: Melanio Paredes (20 August 2007) [10]
  • Secretary of Public Administration (New) [11]: Ramón Ventura Camejo (8 February 2008) [12]

[edit] Presidential Elections 2008

[edit] Primary Election 2007

Leonel Fernández won the elections in 1996, couldn't participate in the 2000 election due to the anti-reelectionist constitution at the time, then won again in 2004. During the Mejía administration the constitution was changed to allow the sitting president to run for a new term. Although Mejía was ultimately unsuccessful in his bid for re-election, this opened the door for Fernández to attempt a similar run. On 7 May 2007, despite great controversy over whether the PLD party should support the concept of re-election, Fernández won the PLD primary election with a 72% voting percentage against his former Chief of Staff and confidant, Danilo Medina.

As a result, Fernández became the official PLD candidate for the presidency in the May 2008 General Election.

[edit] Results

Fernández was declared the victor of the 2008 election, defeating 6 others, including PRD's candidate and former president Mejía's right-hand man, Miguel Vargas, and PRSC's candidate, Amable Aristy.

President Fernández defeated Vargas 53% to 40%, while the third big-party candidate, Aristy, got only around 4%.[13] This allows LF a second consecutive term, and a third term overall. Vargas accepted the defeat on 16 May at around 11:30pm[14]. President Fernández will begin his 3rd period on 16 August 2008, with the traditional ceremony at the National Congress.

[edit] Awards and honours

He is a member of the Club of Madrid.[15]

President Fernández has been distinguished with the honorary degree of Doctor Honoris Causa by the following institutions:


Political offices
Preceded by
Joaquin Balaguer		 President of the Dominican Republic
1996 – 2000		 Succeeded by
Hipólito Mejía
Preceded by
Hipólito Mejía		 President of the Dominican Republic
2004 – present		 Incumbent

[edit] References

  1. ^ Tropical Paradox, by Ken Stier. Time.com
  2. ^ Tropical Paradox, by Ken Stier. Time.com
  3. ^ (Spanish)[1]
  4. ^ (Spanish) Decree of the President
  5. ^ (Spanish) Decree 342-06 of the President
  6. ^ (Spanish) Decree 342-06 of the President
  7. ^ (Spanish) Decree 343-06 of the President
  8. ^ (Spanish) Decree 437-07 of the President
  9. ^ (Spanish) Decree 437-07 of the President
  10. ^ (Spanish) Decree 447-07 of the President
  11. ^ (Spanish) Law 41-08 of Congress of the Republic
  12. ^ (Spanish) Decree 71-08 of the President
  13. ^ [2]
  14. ^ [3]
  15. ^ (English) The Club of Madrid is an independent organization dedicated to strengthening democracy around the world by drawing on the unique experience and resources of its Members – 66 democratic former heads of state and government.

[edit] External links

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Persondata
NAME Fernández, Leonel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Dominican Republic politician
DATE OF BIRTH December 26, 1953
PLACE OF BIRTH Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH