RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, announced on Wednesday (18) that he would promote a revision of the Constitution to establish the independence of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and other agencies such as the Central Electoral Board (JCE).
Abinader, who addressed the country on the occasion of his first year in power, assured that “starting tomorrow I will send a communication to the leaders of the main parties and social and business organizations so that they accompany me in this task”.
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The President said that his purpose is to “shield” through the Constitution the democratic advances that, he assured, his Government has achieved in the fight against corruption and the separation of powers.
“In this mandate, we aspire to complete all the democratic transformations to become a country capable of guaranteeing the rights of all its citizens”, said the President from the steps of the National Palace and in front of his ministers and other officials.
Most of his speech was dedicated to highlighting actions of his administration, such as the “accelerated rhythm” of gross domestic product (GDP), which, he assured, has grown by 13.4% and the doubling of the international reserves to US$12.6 billion, “the highest in history”.
He also mentioned that the country is projected as a leader in foreign direct investment in Central America and the Caribbean with an injection of US$3 billion this year.
He highlighted that the tourism sector, the country’s main source of income before the pandemic, has been recovering “significantly” and is projected to reach a “historical record” of visitors for the next season.
COVID-19 REFERENT
The businessman and economist affirmed that his country is today one of the least lethal for Covid-19. It has the “privilege” of being among the ten with the highest proportion of its adult population vaccinated globally.
“Today, we are a world reference, and this is not due to luck or chance, but to the planned work, the resources available, and the execution of a well-designed plan,” he stressed.
The country has seen a significant drop in the levels of new infections caused by the disease and the number of patients admitted to health centers.
INVESTMENTS AND REFORMS
Abinader said that his government had developed an “important program” of infrastructure with an investment of more than 70 billion pesos (about 1.3 billion dollars), aimed at changing the “physical profile” of the country in the coming years.
In that order, he listed the expansion of the Santo Domingo subway, the construction of ring roads in various parts of the country, the reconstruction of hospitals, housing, as well as the tourist development of the southwestern province of Pedernales, with commitments from 12 international hotel chains, whose facilities are already in the design process.
He also mentioned the tender to build an 800-megawatt power plant in the northwest and a shipyard and a loading dock for which the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved an allocation of 100 million dollars.
The President mentioned that his administration had undertaken the reforms of transparency and institutionality, the electricity sector, water, modernization of the State, health, education, transportation, tax, labor, hydrocarbons, and the National Police, which seeks to transform its entire structure to ensure public safety.
“Our path is clear and transformative, to change the Dominican Republic to make the country we have always dreamed of. For this, I asked for your trust a year ago, and I believe I have not let you down,” said President Abinader.