Election preparations.
President Danilo Medina made his annual state-of-the-nation speech on February 27 -- one that opponents claim was a thinly veiled launch pad for a potential 2020 re-election bid. Medina is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term, but he could try to reform the constitution to allow himself to run and would stand a good chance of succeeding. With political noise around the elections increasing, party politics will become increasingly combative over the next 14 months, including, potentially, within the ruling Partido de la Liberacion Dominicana (Dominican Liberation Party, PLD) itself.
The Marcha Verde anti-corruption movement will step up protests and marches as the Odebrecht trial comes closer to a conclusion.
Having accepted Medina’s previous electoral reform, international organisations are unlikely to intervene in any constitutional changes.
Should clashing loyalties see the PLD split before the election, that could seriously undermine the party’s re-election hopes.
