Santo Domingo – The governing Dominican Liberation Party, or PLD, was ahead Wednesday with 14 percent of the vote counted in the country’s legislative and municipal elections, the Central Electoral Board, or JCE, announced.
The JCE said that the PLD was leading the Great National Alliance of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) and the Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC) – who presented joint candidates in most of the races – in 23 of the country’s 32 provinces.
The PLD was ahead in 57 of the 151 municipalities, the PRD in 43 and the PRSC in 17.
Well before the first vote tally came out, while most of the country slept, both the PLD and the opposition alliance claimed victory in the elections.
Election officials blamed the delay in tallying the votes on the requirement of a double review of ballots.
After the polls closed, at least four people were killed and several were injured in the National District and in the northern municipality of Pedro Brand, political officials and local media reported.
PRD secretary general Orlando Jorge Mera told EFE that two of his party’s supporters died in Pedro Brand in a confused incident when four members of the election police had to intervene in an argument that broke out near a polling place.
One women died in the Villa Duarte sector of Santo Domingo in a similar incident, local media reported.
One unidentified person was arrested in connection with the death of Jose Francisco Salcedo, 42, who apparently belonged to the PRD, after he was killed during a confrontation between PLD and PRD supporters.
A fifth death was also reported, but no information was available that could serve to confirm that.
Currently, the PRD dominates the Senate, with 29 of the 32 seats. The PRSC has two, and the PLD one.
The Chamber of Deputies is being expanded in these elections from 150 seats to 178 seats. In the body being replaced, the PRD has 73 seats to 41 for the PLD and 36 for the PRSC.
The PRD currently controls 104 of the country’s 125 mayoral offices, which are being expanded to 151 in these elections. The PRSC has 11, the PLD has seven and the minority Independent Revolutionary Party has three.
Some 5.4 million citizens of the Caribbean nation were eligible to take part in the elections, with the winning candidates all getting four-year terms.
The most important municipal election pitted incumbent Santo Domingo Mayor Roberto Salcedo, of the PLD, against Alfredo Pacheco, who is currently speaker of the lower house.
