Miami
16 May 2008
Voters in the Dominican Republic are casting ballots in a presidential race. Most opinion polls show President Leonel Fernandez with a strong lead going into the election. VOA's Brian Wagner has this report from our regional bureau in Miami.
Opinion polls ahead of the vote showed Mr. Fernandez is favored to win more than 50 percent of votes in the election, which would avoid a run-off election.
An important source of support to the president's re-election bid may come from Dominicans living abroad. Mr. Fernandez, who was born in Santo Domingo and raised in New York, has created an executive commission to hear the concerns of Dominicans in the United States and elsewhere.
Rosa Kasse, a community organizer who serves on the commission in Miami, says the group marks the first such effort by a Dominican leader to strengthen ties with the expatriate community.
"It is in the beginning, it is only four years old. However, Dominicans know it is an executive office that cares and looks into issues of Dominicans not only in the United States but around the world," said Kasse.
The Santo Domingo government is keen on winning support from Dominicans in the United States because money they send back home plays an important role in the nation's economy. The Inter-American Development Bank reported that remittances from Dominicans last year were up seven percent, to more than $3 billion.
Polling stations are open in Miami, New York and cities in other countries with large Dominican communities.