Leonel Fernández accuses Dominican government of fixed‑price fuel contracts to justify electricity hikes and tax reform

Former president and opposition leader Leonel Fernández claimed that the ruling Partido Revolucionario Moderno (PRM) government secured coal and natural‑gas supplies for electricity generation at a fixed price of US $69 per unit through long‑term contracts. He argued that the government then used the contracts to mask the true cause of recent electricity tariff increases and to justify a broad fiscal‑reform package.

Speaking at a ceremony in Puerto Plata where new members of his Fuerza del Pueblo party were sworn in, Fernández said the authorities are “deceiving the people” by blaming international fuel price spikes for higher electric bills despite the fixed‑price agreements. He linked the electricity‑cost surge to a wider rise in the cost of living, citing increases in staple food prices since 2020 and a decline in household purchasing power. Fernández warned that the situation reflects deepening social discontent and a lack of cash flow in the economy, affecting thousands of families across the Dominican Republic.

The opposition's criticism comes as the PRM‑led administration seeks to pass the “Plan Anticrisis,” a fiscal‑reform bill intended to raise revenue and fund social programs amid the global energy crisis.