VZCZCXYZ0013
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDG #1501 1731430
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 221430Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8590
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHWN/AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN PRIORITY 2071
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0779
RUEHGE/AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN PRIORITY 0979
RUEHKG/AMEMBASSY KINGSTON PRIORITY 2757
RUEHPO/AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO PRIORITY 1113
RUEHPU/AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE PRIORITY 4642
RUEHSP/AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN PRIORITY 1817
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY 1672
RUCOWCV/CUSTOMS CARIBBEAN ATTACHE MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUEFHLC/HQS DHS WASHDC PRIORITY
RUMISTA/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 001501 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CAR, INR/IAA; USSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD; 
TREASURY FOR OASIA-JLEVINE; DEPT PASS USDA FOR FAS; USDOC 
FOR 4322/ITA/MAC/WH/CARIBBEAN BASIN DIVISION; USDOC FOR 
3134/ITA/USFCS/RD/WH; DHS FOR CIS-CARLOS ITURREGUI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: DR PGOV
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN POLITICS III #27: REFORMISTAS CHOOSE 
ARISTY CASTRO FOR 2008 PRESIDENTIAL RACE 
 
 
¶1. (U) This is the 27th cable in our series on Dominican 
politics in the third year of the administration of President 
Leonel Fernandez. 
 
Politics III, 27: 
AMABLE'S THE ONE 
 
On June 10 the Reformed Social Christian Party (PRSC or 
&reformistas8) chose Amable Aristy Castro as its 
presidential candidate for the May, 2008 election.  The final 
vote tally in the nationwide party primary, announced on June 
12, was 55.21 percent for Aristy and 41.51percent for Eduardo 
Estrella, the PRSC candidate in 2004. 
 
Estrella,s campaign manager was a sore loser.  He said that 
the Aristy win was &imposed by spending.8  That was in fact 
the general opinion on the conduct of the PRSC election, in 
contrast to the candidate,s disingenuous slogan &The 
President of the Poor.8  Many thought that Aristy, president 
of the flush League of Municipalities, had used or misused 
funds both for campaigning and on election day, by paying 
supporters to go to the polls and by bribing others to stay 
away.  Over the past week op-ed commentators have deployed 
Aristy,s crass tactic during the campaign of tossing 
handfuls of 100-peso notes out of the League,s helicopter. 
 
The final tally had 356,755 votes, of which 192,864 went for 
Aristy, 144,994 for Eduardo Estrella, and 11,458 (3.28%) for 
Luis Toral.  Toral was seen close by Aristy,s side on voting 
day and in the events that followed.  Party president Enrique 
(Quique) Antn called for all to respect the results. 
 
Losing candidate Eduardo Estrella was scathing when he made 
public remarks on the morning of June 13. &Apparently the 
clientism offered was overwhelming, arising from the 
imperfections of democracy, the deterioration of the 
political system, poverty, and a society that is falling 
apart.8  He said that he was beginning a "process of 
consultations and reflection.8  Since then, analysts have 
asserted that Estrella's followers will by and large refuse 
to vote for Amable, making his at best a Pyrrhic victory. 
 
Nothing daunted, Aristy Castro, Luis Toral and other 
supporters made a pilgrimage to the Santo Domingo cemetery 
where party founder Joaqun Balaguer is buried.  Aristy 
Castro brushed off reporters, questions, asserting that he 
had not listened to Estrella,s speech.  He said that he 
would probably be open to electoral alliances ) marking out 
the reformista hope of becoming a swing party in a close 
contest between the PLD,s Leonel Fernndez and the PRD 
candidate Miguel Vargas Maldonado. 
 
That might be harder than it appears.  The Penn Shofeld poll 
on political affairs just published by HOY newspapers 
indicates that Amable Aristy Castro scores the highest number 
of negative perceptions of any Dominican politician.  Of 
those polled, 54 percent expressed a negative opinion of him. 
 
¶2.  (U) Drafted by Michael Meigs. 
 
¶3. (U) This report and extensive other material can be 
consulted on our SIPRNET site, 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/santodomingo/  
OLTYAN