Leonel Fernández positions Fuerza del Pueblo as alternative to social unrest

Leonel Fernández, president of the Fuerza del Pueblo (FP) party, stated in a New York interview with Telemundo that his political organization is positioning itself as an alternative to the growing social dissatisfaction in the Dominican Republic. Fernández attributed this public frustration to a weakening of economic growth and the deterioration of essential public services.

He specifically highlighted the crisis in the electrical sector, noting that technical and commercial losses have risen from approximately 27% to 28% in 2020 to around 49% under the current administration. This deterioration has reportedly increased the need for sector subsidies to roughly $2 billion and contributed to prolonged blackouts lasting up to 15 hours. Fernández also cited service interruptions in the Santo Domingo Metro as a cause for public anxiety.

Additionally, Fernández is conducting a tour of the United States, including stops in Florida and Pennsylvania, to engage with the Dominican diaspora. He emphasized the importance of the $13 billion in annual remittances sent by Dominicans abroad and expressed a desire to better integrate their professional expertise into the country's development.