SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (AP) — Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader is headed for a second term following Sunday's general election, with a strong lead despite maintaining a strong lead in early vote tallies. He declared victory after his competitors conceded earlier in the night.
This result is due to Mr. Abinader's anti-corruption policy and Government crackdown along the border with Haiti and the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of immigrants fleeing the Dominican Republic's violence-hit neighboring country. These policies are likely to continue in the next term.
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Abinadar is one of them most popular reader In the Americas, early results showed he won about 60% of the vote. His competitors, former President Leonel Fernández and Mayor Abel Martinez, conceded earlier in the evening.
Abinadar supporters at the campaign headquarters began celebrating early, honking their horns and cheering. In his victory speech, Abinader delivered a nationalist message promising change and anti-corruption measures. In particular, he said little about the government's harsh measures against Haitian immigrants or the crisis on the neighboring island.
“The message from the results is clear: the changes we make will be irreversible,” Abinader said. “In the Dominican Republic, the best is yet to come.”
The vote went largely smoothly, although opposition parties reported a number of minor irregularities. Many of the country's 8 million voters remain traumatized by the election board's decision to suspend 2020 local elections due to technical glitches, which appears to have led to high turnout.
The president's Modern Revolutionary Movement is expected to win a majority in the Dominican Republic's parliament, giving him the power to push through constitutional reforms. It will also allow him to push forward with anti-corruption and economic policies that have the support of many Caribbean nations.
Willie Soto, a 21-year-old economics student, was also in the crowd. He said Abinader's anti-corruption measures and economic and educational reforms gave him hope for the future of the country, which has long been plagued by political corruption.
“We young people are seeing a different kind of government,” Soto said.
But much of the president's popularity was fueled by his crackdown on Haitian immigrants.
The Dominican Republic has long taken a hard line against Haitian immigration, but these policies have tightened since Haiti entered free fall following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. As gangs terrorize Haitians, the Dominican government has built a Trump-style border wall along the 250-mile (400 km) border. He also reiterated his call for the United Nations to send international troops to Haiti, saying such action “cannot wait any longer.”
Soto also expressed support for a crackdown on immigration. He said his “policies[against Haitians]are very strict” and that he knew many immigrants were worried that Abinader would win, but that the president's actions were He said it is important to ensure the safety of Dominicans like him.
“This is not a problem that will suddenly be solved one day,” Soto said. “When you think about the policies he's put in place, the way he's cracked down, closed the borders, built the wall, I feel like it's a good effort to get the Haitian immigration problem under control.”
This policy is popular among Dominicans, but it is gaining public attention. Criticism from human rights groups It claims it is racist and a violation of international law. The government has rejected calls to build refugee camps for people fleeing violence in Haiti and mass deported 175,000 Haitians last year, according to government statistics.
“These mass expulsions are a clear violation of the Dominican Republic's international obligations and endanger the lives and rights of these people. Forced deportations to Haiti must end,” said Amnesty International USA. continental director Ana Piquer wrote in an April report.
Now, as Abinader enters his second term, the president has promised to complete the wall that divides the two countries. It is also likely to continue deporting people to Haiti amid a surge in violence.
The idea of continued repression strikes fear in many Haitians, both those who have recently fled the crisis and those who have called the Dominican Republic home for years.
Dominicans like Juan Rene said they too continue to suffer the consequences.
René and his cousin sat at the gate of a detention center on the outskirts of the capital last week, pleading with authorities to help his partner Deborah Dimanche.
Dimanche, a Haitian man who has lived in the Dominican Republic for two years, was detained by immigration officials on his way to work. She is taken to a detention center and is not allowed to communicate with her loved ones as she faces deportation.
Attempts to speak with camp officials were unsuccessful, and Rene felt increasingly helpless as she spoke.
“They wouldn't hand her over and said they were going to get rid of her and send her to Haiti,” Rene said. “She doesn't even have anyone to talk to.”
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Janetzky reported from Mexico City. Associated Press photojournalist Matthias Delacroix in Santo Domingo contributed to this report.
