SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (AP) — Voters in the Dominican Republic cast their votes Sunday in a general election that will Government crackdown on shared border with Haiti and hundreds of thousands of people fleeing countries hit by violence.
At the forefront of the presidential election is President Luis Abinader, who is seeking re-election as one of the next presidents. most popular reader In the Americas. If the vote rate exceeds 50%, the candidate will be elected to the next term without proceeding to the second round of voting.
More than 50 countries will go to the polls in 2024
He will be followed by former President Leonel Fernández and Mayor Abel Martinez. Dominicans also vote in parliamentary elections.
Many of the Dominican Republic's 8 million voters remain traumatized by the election authority's decision to suspend 2020 local elections due to technical glitches.
Abelardo Houbry Entmarchais, a teacher from the capital Santo Domingo, was one of the first to vote just after 7 a.m.
“We need to vote, one way or another,” he said.
Voting centers in the Dominican Republic will remain open until 5pm (9pm GMT) and the first results are expected in a few hours.
Abinader told reporters on Sunday that voting went smoothly in the morning, the voting process was transparent and that “democracy must prevail” today.
“Dominican democracy is strong and will become even stronger through this process,” Abinader said.
Abinader's anti-corruption policies and push for economic growth in the Dominican Republic resonated with many of the Caribbean country's 8 million voters. But much of his popularity is fueled by the government's harsh crackdown on Haitians and the Dominican Republic's border with his crisis-hit neighbor.
Perla Concepcion, a 29-year-old secretary, said: “This migration problem worries me because we are seeing mass migration from neighboring countries and it feels like it is out of control.'' He added that this is his biggest concern. Go to the voting station.
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.”
The government also rejected calls to build refugee camps for people fleeing violence and mass deported 175,000 Haitians last year, according to government statistics.While popular among voters, the policy has drawn fierce criticism. Criticism from human rights groups They call it racist and a violation of international law.
“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,” Amnesty International said. Americas Director Anna Pikar said in an April report.