Dominican President Luis Abinader is headed to reelection as challengers concede early

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic —  Dominican President Luis Abinader is headed to a second term following Sunday’s general election, declaring victory after his top competitors conceded early in the night as he held a strong lead in early vote tallies.

The outcome reinforced Abinader’s anti-corruption agenda, the government’s crackdown along its border with Haiti and the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Haitian migrants fleeing their violence-stricken country. Such policies are likely to continue in his next term.

The early results showed Abinader, one of the most popular leaders in the Americas and the Caribbean, with nearly 60% of the vote. His challengers, former President Leonel Fernández and Santiago de los Caballeros Mayor Abel Martínez, conceded early in the night.

Supporters at Abinader’s campaign headquarters started celebrating early, blowing horns and cheering. In his victory speech, Abinader delivered a nationalistic message promising change and anti-corruption measures. He notably spoke little about the government’s harsh measures against Haitian migrants and the crisis in Haiti.

“The message from the results is clear — the changes that we’ve made are going to be irreversible,” Abinader said. “In the Dominican Republic, the best is yet to come.”

While opposition parties reported a number of small irregularities, voting for the most part ran smoothly. Many of the 8 million eligible voters are still traumatized by an electoral authority decision to suspend the 2020 municipal elections due to a technical glitch, prompting what appears to be high voter turnout.

The president’s Modern Revolutionary Movement was also expected to win a majority in Congress, which would allow him to push through changes to the constitution. It also would allow him to further his anti-corruption and economic agendas, which many Dominicans support.

Willy Soto, a 21-year-old economics student, was among those in the crowd. He said Abinader’s anti-corruption measures and economic and educational reforms gave him hope for the future of the country long plagued by political corruption.

“We young people, we see a different kind of government,” Soto said.

Much of the president’s popularity, however, has been fueled by the crackdown on Haitian migration.

The Dominican Republic has long taken a hard line with Haitian migrants, but such policies have ramped up since Haiti fell into chaos and violence after the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. As gangs have terrorized Haitians, the Dominican government has built a Trump-like wall along the 250-mile border. Abinader has repeatedly urged the United Nations to send an international force to Haiti, saying such action “cannot wait any longer.”

Soto voiced approval for the migrant crackdown. Acknowledging that “the policies against [Haitians] are very strict,” he said the steps the president has taken are important in guaranteeing the security of Dominicans.

“This isn’t a problem that gets resolved one day to the next,” Soto said. “The policies he’s implemented, how he’s cracked down, closed the border and built a wall — I feel like it’s a good initiative to control the problem of Haitian migration.”

While the policy is popular among Dominicans, it has drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups that call it racist and a violation of international law. The government has rejected calls to build refugee camps for those fleeing Haiti’s violence and last year conducted mass deportations of 175,000 Haitians, according to its figures.

“These collective expulsions are a clear violation of the Dominican Republic’s international obligations and put the lives and rights of these people at risk. Forced returns to Haiti must end,” Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International, wrote in an April report.

Now, as Abinader enters his second term, he has promised to complete the wall dividing the two countries. He is also likely to continue deporting people back to Haiti at a time of increasing violence there.

The thought of continued crackdowns has stirred fear in Haitians, both those who recently fled the crisis and those who have long called the Dominican Republic home.

Dominicans like Juan Rene said they, too, have been suffering the consequences.

Rene and his cousin sat at the gates of a detention center on the outskirts of the capital, Santo Domingo, last week, pleading for authorities to help his partner, Deborah Dimanche.

Dimanche, a Haitian who has been living in the Dominican Republic for two years, was detained by immigration officers while on her way to work. She was taken to the detention center and has not been allowed to communicate with her loved ones as she faces deportation.

After trying unsuccessfully to talk with camp officials, Rene spoke with an increasing sense of helplessness.

“They said they won’t hand her over, that they’re going to get rid of her and send her to Haiti,” Rene said. “There’s no one to even talk to.”

Alcántara and Janetsky write for the Associated Press. Alcántara reported from Santo Domingo and Janetsky from Mexico City. AP photojournalist Matias Delacroix in Santo Domingo contributed to this report.