Leonel Fernandez

Hi guys, Barry in DR.  So, moving forward in our series of “Expat Guide” videos, today we will talk a bit about some of the more recent politics in the Dominican Republic.  Overall, the period from about 1967 through 2012 has be dominated by they more conservative party and by Fernandez in two terms.  This has been good for expats and good for foreign relations and trade in the Dominican Republic.  We have a presidential election system here in the Dominican Republic where a president can only serve two consecutive terms and then must step aside.  Such is the case for Fernandez’s second term.  But I would not rule out that we may see Fernandez making another run at it in the next elections.  His protege, Danilo Medina is the current president (elected in 2012) and he and his party is doing GREAT things for the Dominican Republic and he is an incredibly popular president, but more on that in my next video.

As I point out in the video, I believe all government regimes are either corrupt or corruptible to one extent of another.  Corruption in government takes many forms ranging from lining the pockets of the politician and his cronies all the way to “control”.  Given the choice I would much rather see leaders that stick to lining their pockets than those that want to achieve absolute control over my life and liberty.

It seems that the larger the government and the bigger the crisis it is facing, the greater the likely-hood that the politicians will opt for “power and control” over the simple greed of lining their pockets.  That, I fear is what is happening in the U.S. and across much of Europe.  Those governments are opting for tighter and tighter control which is resulting in the decay of the freedoms and liberties of its citizens.  We have chosen the option of a more transparent government where the people simply will not stand for loss of their freedoms.  At least that is our assessment of the current situation in the Dominican Republic.

In this latest video I try to introduce you to some of the achievements and policies of the Fernandez and the Hipolito presidencies and lay the foundation for our final history video about Danilo Medina coming up next.

I hope you are not getting bored with this little bit of Dominican Republic history.  I find that every time I check out a new country, a little understanding of the political climate helps me navigate through the bureaucracy and get the most out of my stay.

For now, it’s Barry in DR heading out to the back country for a little exploration.  Hope you get an opportunity to join one of our Discovery Tours of the north coast and check it out yourself.