Latin America Advisor 2022-09-21 – Inter-American Dialogue

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

September 21, 2022

Is the DR’s Abinader Performing Well at His Halfway Point?

The Dominican Republic’s president, Luis Abinader, last month reached the halfway point of his four-year term. // File Photo: Government of the Dominican Republic.

Q

In a speech last month marking the end of his second year in office, President Luis Abinader touted the performance of the Dominican Republic’s economy, which grew 12.3 percent last year, according to EFE. Meanwhile, some polls in recent months have put Abinader’s approval rating at 70 percent, among the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean. How well has Abinader performed over the past two years, and what have been his administration’s biggest shortcomings? What are the top policy priorities he will pursue in his remaining two years in office?

A

Bernardo Vega, former ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the United States: “President Luis Abinader has had bad luck. The start of his government coincided with the pandemic, and he had to concentrate his efforts on vaccinating the country. At the beginning, the government only had access to Chinese vaccines, but he was able to cover 70 percent of the population, and his effort has been highly praised locally and internationally. When it seemed that the pandemic was over, the war in Europe raised the prices of both fuel and food, both of which the Dominican Republic is a big importer. The Dominican Republic has been accustomed for many years to inflation of about 4 percent, but now, like other governments, the Dominican Republic has had to divert resources in order to subsidize fuel and food at the expense of public works. Abinader has neglected and badly managed priorities such as…”

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The Inter-American Dialogue publishes the Latin America Advisor every business day for a distinguished membership of informed corporate leaders, scholars, and government officials invested in Latin America’s development and future. The Advisor‘s highly regarded Q&A section covers questions submitted by subscribers themselves. Commentators regularly include heads of state, business leaders, diplomats, economists, analysts, and thought leaders from around the world. Many of the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies subscribe to the Advisor. To subscribe, click here. For terms and conditions, click here. For more information, contact Gene Kuleta, editor of the Advisor, at gkuleta@thedialogue.org.

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Gene Kuleta
Editor
P. 202.463.2920
E. gkuleta@thedialogue.org

Carl David
Goette-Luciak
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Reporter

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Diego Arria
Director,
Columbus Group

Merike Blofield
Professor of Political Science,
University of Hamburg

Devry Boughner Vorwerk
CEO,
DevryBV Sustainable Strategies

Joyce Chang
Global Head of Research,
J.P. Morgan

Marlene Fernández
Corporate Vice President for Gov’t Relations,
Arcos Dorados (McDonald’s)

Peter Hakim
President Emeritus,
Inter-American Dialogue

Donna Hrinak
Director,
Adtalem Global Education

Jon E. Huenemann
Council Member,
GLG Inc.

James R. Jones
Chairman,
Monarch Global Strategies

Craig Kelly
Senior Director,
Int’l Gov’t Relations,
Exxon Mobil

Barbara Kotschwar
Professor of Political Economy,
Georgetown University

John Maisto
Director,
US Education Finance Group

Nicolas Mariscal
Chairman,
Grupo Marhnos

Thomas F. McLarty III
Chairman,
McLarty Associates

Beatrice Rangel
Director,
AMLA Consulting

Ernesto Revilla
Head of Latin American Economics, Citi

Gustavo Roosen
President,
IESA

Andrés Rozental
President, Rozental &
Asociados

Shelly Shetty
Managing Director,
Sovereigns, Fitch

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