LatinNews Daily - 12 May 2008

Development: The candidates for the presidential elections in the Dominican Republic (DR) on 16 May closed their electoral campaigns last weekend, with incumbent President Leonel Fernández still by far the favourite to win.
 
Significance: Electoral opinion polls in the DR have consistently given Fernández the lead over his main rival, Miguel Vargas Maldonado of the opposition Partido Revolucionario Dominicano  (PRD). The third candidate, Amable Aristy Castro of the Partido Reformista Social Cristiano (PRSC) comes a distant runner-up but his alliance may yet prove important if the vote should go through to a second round.
 
The numerous opinion polls which have been released between March and April placed President Fernández firmly in first place with 56.0% (Penn and Schoen), 54.0% (Noxa-Clave), and 53.0% (Greenberg). Other pollsters, such as Gallup, put him on 51.7%, Hamilton, on 48% and CID the lowest, on 40.6.