Dominican PLD primary showdown: García vs. Castillo

Dominican President Danilo Medina’s political bloc, known as the “danilismo,” defeated former party leader Leonel Fernández in the PLD’s 2019 internal convention, ending Fernández’s bid for the 2020 presidential nomination.

Ahead of the party’s October 2026 internal consultation, PLD presidential hopeful Francisco Javier García says the party’s current leadership now backs him rather than Gonzalo Castillo. García notes that prominent figures close to Medina—including Carlito Pared Pérez, Robert de la Cruz and Miriam Cabral—have thrown their support behind his candidacy, while Medina remains neutral and acts as an arbiter of unity within the PLD.

The contest is portrayed as a sharp battle between García and Castillo, with the party’s unified structure and Medina’s influence seen as decisive factors.