President Luis Abinader said yesterday that he “does not like” the continuous re-election model since he considers that re-election after several terms best.
“I don’t like the continuous re-election model; I think the best model was re-election after one, two terms,” he said in an interview offered to the morning program Hoy Mismo by Color Visión, channel 9.
“The truth is that without us doing any campaign or anything, we do not see it as difficult for us to be successful in a re-nomination,” said the president, and immediately stated that the numbers are there and that everyone knows how the polls are.
“The PRM wins the elections today… I am consulting, analyzing, I believe that the best times in the Dominican Republic are yet to come,” he added.
Abinader classified his Government as a “sacrifice” to the homeland and considered it an “enormous pride and recognition” that the people allowed him to serve. “You feel distinguished, even with all the criticism,” he declared.
Inflation is under control.
The president said that the most important thing in the current circumstances has been to control inflation. He indicated that one of his concerns was that the Dominican worker did not lose purchasing power “because the other is monetary illusion.”
He pointed out that the non-sector minimum wage is today the highest in history and unemployment has fallen, whose rate was 5.7% at the end of 2019 and is one point less, better than in the pre-pandemic, with a growing economy,” and that is quite acceptable unemployment for our countries.”
He stressed that 80% of the countries had increased poverty. In the Dominican Republic, it has decreased since direct transfers have quadrupled, financing for small and medium-sized companies has increased through Promipyme and to Banco Agrícola more than RD$18,000 million of new funds, with a part at zero rates to be able to reactivate that sector. “Between 2016 and 2020, there was not a peso transferred from the central government to Banco Agrícola,” he said.
He expects that with the incentives that have been given, starting this month, the economy will achieve greater growth and between 3.5% and 4% at the end of this year.
The president assured that this country was different from the one he found. He said that there is respect for public goods and the laws.
“We know that there is a regime of consequences,” said the president regarding the institutional part of the Government. He also indicated that there is greater efficiency and quality of public spending in the country. Abinader pointed out that in terms of health, in the last twelve months, he has been working on renovating 70 hospitals and a new one in Esperanza. In addition, in the next six months, the hospitals of Villa Vázquez and Dajabón will open; Sajoma, in San José de las Matas; and Santo Domingo to open the Mario Tolentino Dipp General Hospital, which had been abandoned for years.
Other hospitals that will be opened are the Santo Domingo Oeste Maternity Hospital, the Marcelino Velez Hospital, the Women’s Hospital, and the Northeast Regional Hospital, whose first phase will be inaugurated next October.
He maintained that the country needs resources for four areas, of which there are three that are fundamental: health, to be able to implement the primary care unit, which requires between RD$16,000 and R$D$18,000 million a year; real security, with twice the number of police officers on the streets; and thirdly, more money is required for infrastructure for the transportation system. The fourth area is to achieve the financial sustainability of the economy.
The electrical sector
Regarding the national electricity issue, President Abinader explained that it deals with two areas: generation and distribution, and in terms of age, his Government has tendered the largest amount in Dominican history. He explained that demand has increased in the country due to an increase in economic activity of 800 megabytes in three years, more than 200 megabytes per year.
He assured me that the blackouts are due to breakdowns because there are no longer financial blackouts, and he asked the generators if they are being paid like never before and that they are no longer charging interest to the Government, as before.
He pointed out that the pending task is to improve breakdowns since circuits were prepared for many megabytes. More have entered, which has caused the transformers to explode, “and there has not been the necessary investment either in this Government or in previous ones in the Edes.” He indicated that in 2024 renewable energy will triple concerning the amount at the beginning of the Government.
Abinader said he had reserved US$700 million to restore the Edes in 2022, and natural gas rose by four fuels. He faced the dilemma of investing, raising the rate, or subsidizing, so he invested US$150 million.
