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Luis Abinader

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Abinader and the second or maternal family name is Corona.
His Excellency
Luis Abinader
ODB GColIH
Abinader in 2024
54th President of the Dominican Republic
Incumbent
Assumed office
16 August 2020
Vice PresidentRaquel Peña
Preceded byDanilo Medina
Personal details
Born
Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona

(1967-07-12) 12 July 1967 (age 57)
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Political partyModern Revolutionary Party
Other political
affiliations		Dominican Revolutionary Party (until 2014)
Spouse
​
(m. 1995)​
Children3
Parents
Alma materHult International Business School
Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo

Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona ODB GColIH (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlwis roˈðolfo aβinaˈðeɾ koˈɾona]; born 12 July 1967) is a Dominican economist, businessman, and politician who has served as the 54th president of the Dominican Republic since 2020. He was the Modern Revolutionary Party candidate for President of the Dominican Republic in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 general elections.

Before becoming president, Abinader was the general manager of Grupo Abicor, a business consortium started by his father, José Rafael Abinader, a former senator and finance minister. Grupo Abicor includes a real estate and construction company focused mainly on the tourism industry, a cement factory, and a private university. As revealed by the Pandora Papers, Abinader also owns several offshore companies.[1] Abinader was proclaimed as Latin America's richest president by Bloomberg Línea in 2022.[2]

Abinader was re-elected to a second term as president in the 2024 Dominican Republic general election. In his victory speech, Abinader said that the "changes that we've made are going to be irreversible", and that the "best is yet to come".[3]

Early life and family

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José Sesin Abinader, the grandfather of Luis Abinader (April 1945)

Abinader was born in Santo Domingo on 12 July 1967. However, both of his parents were born in Santiago in the northern region of the country: his mother, Rosa Ramona Sulina "Sula" Corona Caba,[4] is from a family of Canary Islander origin; most of her ancestors hail from San José de las Matas.[5] His father was José Rafael Abinader, a businessman and political leader whose family were Christian Maronites from Lebanon.[6] His paternal grandfather was José S. Abinader, a Lebanese immigrant from Baskinta, Mount Lebanon, who arrived to the country in 1898 and settled in the town of Tamboril (located near the city of Santiago de los Caballeros).[5] His maternal grandmother, Esther Wassaf Khoury Sahdalá, was born in the Dominican Republic to Wassaf Khoury Hanna and his wife Thell Sahdalá, both Lebanese Maronite Christians.[5]

Ancestry

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Education

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Abinader did his secondary education at the Colegio Loyola (Spanish: Loyola High School); He graduated in economics from the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (Spanish: Santo Domingo Institute of Technology). He did postgraduate studies in Project Management at Hult International Business School (at the time named Arthur D. Little Institute) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Career

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Abinader in 2011
Abinader (second from the right) with Hipólito Mejía, Tavito Suberví and Fello Suberví

He was elected vice president of the Dominican Revolutionary Party in its 2005 National Convention.

He is currently Executive Chairman of ABICOR Group, which has developed and operated major tourism projects in the country. This family group led the business plan of what is today the company Cementos Santo Domingo, of which he is Vice President.

He has been president of the Association of Hotels in the Puerto Plata area and is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants (ASONAHORES).

He is member of the Board of Directors of the O&M University's Foundation.

He was recognized by the Rhode Island General Assembly for his career in public service, education, and business. He also received acknowledgments from the City Hall of Boston and the Massachusetts Senate for his contributions to higher education, civic engagement, and community service.

Abinader was the vice-presidential candidate of the Dominican Revolutionary Party in the 2012 election and in 2005 was pre-candidate for senator from the province of Santo Domingo.

2016 presidential election

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Main article: 2016 Dominican Republic general election

Abinader was the presidential candidate of the Dominican Humanist Party[8] and the Modern Revolutionary Party[9] for the past general elections on 15 May 2016.

Abinader was, along with Soraya Aquino, one of the two presidential candidates in 2016 who had not been born during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961).[10] Giuliani Partners, specifically Rudy Giuliani and John Huvane, advised Abinader in the campaign as security consultants.[11][12]

2020 presidential election

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Main article: 2020 Dominican Republic general election

Abinader successfully ran for President in the 2020 election.[13] Rudy Giuliani and John Huvane once again advised Abinader in the campaign as security consultants.[11][14]

2024 election

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In August 2023, he announced his intention to seek presidential re-election, and in the May 19, 2024, election, he was re-elected with 57% of the votes for the 2024-2028 term. His two closest competitors were Leonel Fernández of the People's Force party, and Abel Martínez of the Dominican Liberation Party. They received 29% and 10% of the votes, respectively, in that election.[15][16]

Suspicions of tax evasion

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In October 2021, Abinader was named in the Pandora Papers leak.[17] Prior becoming President, he filed a public declaration of assets stating that he had a net worth of 76 million US dollars.

The investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) found that Abinader "is linked to two Panamanian companies" (both created before Abinader became president of the country).[18]

  • Littlecot Inc. (created on 24 March 2011 and which he owns with his sister and brother). Abinader interviewed by the ICIJ said that Littlecot Inc. holds family property in the Dominican Republic.
  • Padreso SA (created on 8 January 2014, and in which his three siblings are shareholders). This company owns and manages shares in six other entities that own properties and extensions of the private university (also owned by his family).

Documents found in the Pandora Papers show that these two companies originally had bearer shares, not registered in the name of any particular person. It also shows that after in 2015, Panamanian law required companies to disclose the identity of the owners of their bearer shares, in 2018, a lawyer for the Abinaders filed a form with an "offshore service company" (Overseas Management Co. or OMC Group) listing Luis Abinader's siblings as shareholders of the companies, instead of "the bearer".

OMC Group is also the service provider that created the company Offshore Dorado Asset Management Ltd. on 2 July 2004 in the tax haven of the British Virgin Islands on behalf of Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. Once president, Abinader created the company Offshore Dorado.

Once president, Abinader declared these two companies (and at least seven other offshore companies under a revocable trust). His net worth was approximately US$70 million, according to a public declaration of assets he filed a month after being elected president in 2020.

President of the Dominican Republic

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Inauguration ceremony, 16 August 2020

Abinader was sworn in as the President of the Dominican Republic on 16 August 2020.[19][20]

The inauguration had a reduced number of guests due to the measures taken for the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the international guests was the Secretary of State of the United States, Mike Pompeo, who attended on behalf of President Donald Trump.[21]

He made the fight against illegal immigration one of his priorities. In February 2022, he began construction of a separation wall with Haiti, which will extend over 164 of the 380 kilometers of border.[22]

Border wall

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In February 2023, construction was started on a border wall that will cover the border with Haiti.[23][24] The project includes 70 watchtowers and 41 access gates for patrolling containing fiber optics for communications, movement sensors, cameras, radars and drones.[23][25] This project will be the second longest border wall in the Americas, after the US-Mexico wall.[24] Proposals for a wall came from several Dominican politicians, including Ramfis Trujillo, grandson of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo, and Abinader before becoming president.[26][23] The idea is supported by the vast majority of the Dominican population.[27] Dominican officials claim the wall will slow the illegal Haitian migration, the drug trade, as well as reduce the chance of gang violence in Haiti from spreading to the Dominican Republic.[25]

Economic management

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Despite efforts to reactivate the economy in the post-pandemic period, Abinader's administration has faced numerous criticisms.[28] Several economists have pointed out that, although there were successes in vaccination and some economic stimuli, the debt policy has been inefficient.[29][30] The significant increase in loans, without strong capital expenditure to boost the economy, could compromise future governments.[31]

Additionally, the policy of eliminating customs duties for certain imported products has been criticized, arguing that it has harmed domestic producers and led to the bankruptcy of many local businesses. These measures failed to control the prices of food and other basic products, and the national economy continued to slow down, with double-digit inflation and economic growth limited to 2% in 2023.[32][33][34]

Foreign relations

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Abinader meets with Mike Pompeo, 16 August 2020

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was among those in attendance at Abinader's swearing-in ceremony.[19] Under Luis Abinader's leadership, the Dominican Republic is set to form stronger economic and diplomatic ties with the United States.[35] Under his administration, the Dominican Republic became one of the countries that, along with the US, voted to maintain the arms embargo on Iran.[36]

He is close to the Lima Group, which brings together nations in the Americas to oppose the Maduro regime and advocate for a return to democracy in Venezuela.[37]

On 24 February 2022, Abinader released a statement denouncing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.[38]

In 2023, a dispute over water in the Dajabón River led President Abinader to close the Dominican Republic-Haiti border.[39]

Indebtedness

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The government of Luis Abinader has been questioned for the increase in the country's public debt, taking it from U$44,622.3 million in 2020 to U$54,828.8 million by December 2023, which means that in just 3 years (2021-2023) it increased by U$10,206.5 million.[40] This makes his government the one that has most indebted the country in absolute terms. Consolidated public debt along with the Central Bank debt (U$19,944.9 million in 2023) reached a total of U$74,900 million by December 2023.[41][42][43][44][45]

Clientelism

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The management of Luis Abinader has continued the old practices of clientelism to gain popularity, spending billions of Dominican pesos on RD$1500 bonds, which are approximately 30 dollars.[46] These bonds, which are supposed to support families, have been labeled as an act of clientelism by the government.[47][48][49]

In a press conference, one of the main opposition parties, Fuerza del Pueblo, denounced through its legal team that the president had been given about 30 thousand cards of the 2023 Christmas bonus.[50]

Popularity

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Despite the high inflation rate experienced by the country and the devaluation of the Dominican peso against the US dollar (going from 53.30 per dollar to 56.50),[51][52] President Luis Abinader has maintained a popularity above 55% to this day.[53][54] He is also the second most popular president in Latin America, behind Nayib Bukele, President of El Salvador.[55][56]

Personal life

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President Luis Abinader at the launch event for the Second Stage of Revitalization of the Colonial City of Santo Domingo. To the left of the President, Carolina Mejía (Mayor of the National District), and to the right David Collado (Minister of Tourism).

Abinader has been married to Raquel Arbaje Soneh since 1995. She is the daughter of businesspersons Elías Arbaje Farah and Margarita Soneh, both of Lebanese descent. They have three children.[57]

Honours

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References

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  1. ^ "Power Players - ICIJ". 2 October 2021. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Luis Abinader, el presidente más rico de América Latina". 27 June 2022. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader heads to reelection as competitors concede early". Associated Press. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b Núñez, Milcíades Humberto (25 July 2020). "Luis Abinader Corona: Ancestros y Parientes Colaterales". Areíto (in Spanish). Santo Domingo: Hoy. p. 2. Retrieved 6 June 2024.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ a b c Núñez Núñez, Miliciades Humberto. "Luis Abinader Corona, Ancestros y Parientes Colaterales". Instituto Dominicano de Genealogía, Inc. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  6. ^ Irrizarri, Evelyn (26 September 2013). "José Rafael Abinader: "Me arrepiento del tiempo que le dediqué a la política"". El Caribe (Dominican Republic) (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  7. ^ Larrazábal Blanco, Carlos. Familias Dominicanas (in Spanish). Santo Domingo: Academia Dominicana de la Historia.
  8. ^ Thomas, Juan Eduardo (8 December 2014). "Partido escoge a Abinader como candidato presidencial". Listín Diario (in Spanish). Santo Domingo. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  9. ^ "Luis Abinader le ganó ayer la convención del PRM a Hipólito Mejía". Diario Libre (in Spanish). Santo Domingo. 27 April 2015. Archived from the original on 19 July 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  10. ^ Santana, Rose Mary (19 September 2015). "Luis Abinader se reunirá con la comunidad dominicana de Nueva York". Acento.com.do (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  11. ^ a b Partlow, Joshua; Dawsey, Josh (20 February 2020). "Amid Ukraine swirl, Giuliani's work for candidate in Dominican Republic caused unease". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2020. Since 2015, Giuliani has been hired by Abinader as a security consultant two times, according to Samuel Pereyra, an official in the Abinader campaign who managed the contracts. His most recent contract, for $75,000, was secured last June, Pereyra said, more than a year after Giuliani joined Trump's legal team.
  12. ^ Huvane, John. "Dominican Republic: Saftey (sic) And Security" (PDF). Giuliani Safety & Security. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via WashingtonPost.com.
  13. ^ "Change in Dominican Republic as opposition wins presidency". Yahoo! News. 6 July 2020. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020.
  14. ^ "Giuliani jumps into Dominican Republic's reelection fray". Dominican Today. 17 July 2019. Archived from the original on 18 July 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  15. ^ Romero, Simon; Pérez, Hogla Enecia (22 May 2024). "Dominican President Abinader Wins Re-election in a Landslide". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  16. ^ Ehlinger, Tara John, Marlon Sorto, Maija-Liisa (20 May 2024). "Dominican Republic president declares himself winner in election". CNN. Retrieved 5 August 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "Panama's Pandora Papers snag Dominican leader". Dominican Today. 4 October 2021. Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  18. ^ "Power Players". ICIJ. 2 October 2021. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  19. ^ a b "Luis Abinader sworn in as Dominican leader; Pompeo attends". Associated Press. 16 August 2020. Archived from the original on 16 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  20. ^ Abiu Lopez, Ezequiel (16 August 2020). "Dominican Republic's new president takes office warning of tough recovery". Reuters. Archived from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  21. ^ "Dominican Republic to construct fence along border with Haiti". Reuters. 27 February 2021. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  22. ^ "Dominican Republic begins building border wall with Haiti". Reuters. 21 February 2022. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  23. ^ a b c Abiu, Ezequiel; Jorgic, Drazen (20 February 2022). "Dominican Republic begins building border wall with Haiti". Reuters. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  24. ^ a b Balbi, Danielle (28 September 2022). "A 101-Mile Wall Goes Up to Block Haitians Pouring Over Border". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  25. ^ a b Parkin Daniels, Joe (25 February 2022). "Dominican Republic starts work on border wall with Haiti". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  26. ^ "Rafael Trujillo's grandson Ramfis wants build a wall between Haiti and the Dominican Republic".
  27. ^ "Ciudadanos dominicanos quieren aportar para la construcción de verja en la frontera". 28 February 2021.
  28. ^ "Transitando el estancamiento económico". El Día. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  29. ^ Cortiñas, Haivanjoe NG (31 August 2023). "Medidas del Banco Central sin efectos esperados con economía estancada". Periódico elDinero. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  30. ^ Polanco, Alfredo Cruz (2 January 2024). "La política económica del presidente Abinader. ¡Un rotundo fracaso!". El Nuevo Diario (República Dominicana) (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  31. ^ "La deuda pública dominicana y la inminente reforma fiscal". Acento (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  32. ^ Cortiñas, Haivanjoe NG (21 December 2023). "El 2023 con la peor caída de la economía dominicana en 14 años". Periódico elDinero. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  33. ^ Ciprián, Felipe (3 June 2022). "Economía dominicana va directo al estancamiento con inflación". Ocoaenred (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  34. ^ Diario, Listin (29 April 2022). "Así quiebra el gobierno la producción nacional". listindiario.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  35. ^ Vicente Romero, Geovanny (16 August 2020). "This is the beginning of a new chapter in US-Dominican relations". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  36. ^ Pompeo, Mike [@SecPompeo] (20 August 2020). "Grateful to the Dominican Republic for standing with the United States and voting to extend the arms embargo on Iran at the @UN Security Council. We appreciate their support as we work to prevent Iran from gaining access to new and powerful weapons" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 September 2020 – via Twitter.
  37. ^ "República Dominicana ya no reconoce a Guaidó como presidente de Venezuela". Swissinfo (in Spanish). 27 January 2021. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  38. ^ Abinader, Luis [@luisabinader] (25 February 2022). "Mi declaración sobre Ucrania" (Tweet) (in Spanish) – via Twitter.
  39. ^ Klimnt, Alex (17 September 2023). "Dispute over water rights threatens to close Haiti's border". GZERO. Archived from the original on 11 January 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  40. ^ "Estadísticas | Dirección General de Crédito Público". www.creditopublico.gob.do. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  41. ^ "Balance Evolution of Non-Financial Public Sector Debt".
  42. ^ elDinero, Redacción (13 April 2023). "La deuda pública aumentó US$11,474.7 millones en 14 meses". Periódico elDinero. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  43. ^ Diario, Listin (23 October 2023). "Unos US$2,690.8 millones creció la deuda pública en ocho meses". listindiario.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  44. ^ Diario, Listin (13 December 2023). "Intereses de deuda van por 196,000 millones". listindiario.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  45. ^ "Deuda Pública de República Dominicana 2022 | Datosmacro.com". datosmacro.expansion.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  46. ^ Diario, Listin (26 July 2023). "Gobierno invertirá RD$1,800 millones de pesos en bono estudiantil que le darán a los padres". listindiario.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  47. ^ DIGITAL, N. (4 December 2022). "Bono de Apoyo Familiar: ¿Clientelismo o Asistencia social?". N Digital (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  48. ^ Corripio, Grupo de medios (17 November 2021). "Senador ve PRM aupa clientelismo". Hoy Digital (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  49. ^ Nacional, El (17 November 2021). "Tarjeta bono navideño es una estafa, dice senador PLD". El Nacional (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  50. ^ Redacción, La (14 February 2024). "Bono Navideño caduca en junio! Presidente Abinader y primera dama habrían recibido parte de las tarjetas; FP exige rendir cuenta sobre emisión y distribución". Proceso (in European Spanish). Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  51. ^ Nova, Alcides (22 May 2020). "El costo del dólar aumentó un 7.27% en abril de 2020". Periódico elDinero. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  52. ^ "Cómo comenzó y terminó: así se comportó el dólar en el 2023". Diario Libre (in Spanish). 29 December 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  53. ^ "Encuesta Markestrategia: Luis 54.6%, Leonel 24.8%, Abel 12.5%". Acento (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  54. ^ DIGITAL, N. (6 December 2023). "Según la CID-Gallup Abinader ganaría las elecciones en primera vuelta; da 29% a Leonel y 15% a Abel". N Digital (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  55. ^ "Luis Abinader se mantiene como segundo presidente de mejor aceptación de América". Diario Libre (in Spanish). 13 January 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  56. ^ Línea, Bloomberg (4 February 2024). "Así está la popularidad de los presidentes de LatAm". Bloomberg Línea (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  57. ^ Núñez Núñez, Milcíades Humberto. "Descendientes de Raymundo Núñez" [Raymundo Núñez's Descendants]. Genealogy.com (in Spanish). Séptima generación. Archived from the original on 20 January 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  58. ^ "Duque y Abinader se condecoran mutuamente y sus gobiernos firman 6 documentos". 29 April 2022.
  59. ^ "Portugal apoya solicitud del primer mandatario Luis Abinader para que dominicanos puedan viajar a Europa sin necesidad de visado Schengen". 23 March 2023.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Luis Abinader.
Party political offices
New political party PLD nominee for President of the Dominican Republic
2016, 2020 		Most recent
Political offices
Preceded by President of the Dominican Republic
2020–present 		Incumbent
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