Fernandez Reyna, Leonel

▪ 1997

      On Aug. 16, 1996, after a bitter campaign filled with charges of racism and personal attacks, 42-year-old Leonel Fernández Reyna of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) was sworn in as the Dominican Republic's president; he was the youngest person ever to be elected to the office.

      Though Fernández lost in the first round of elections to former Santo Domingo mayor José Francisco Peña Gómez of the Dominican Revolutionary Party, he won the second round by a narrow margin after forming an alliance with the ruling Social Christian Reformist Party. Fernández would succeed Joaquín Balaguer, who had run the country off and on over a period of nearly 30 years. At 89 and almost blind, he was prevented from running for office again. Fernández, who represented a "generational change of command" in Dominican politics, appealed to middle-class voters weary of a fractured system. He was elected with the support of both Balaguer and PLD founder Juan Bosch, who put aside their differences to ensure that Fernández, who was of mixed race, would win over Peña, a Haitian.

      Fernández, the son of a soldier and a teacher, was born on Dec. 26, 1953, in Santo Domingo but was raised mostly in New York City. Growing up, he was an avid basketball player and fan of the New York Knicks basketball team. After his mother became concerned that he was becoming too American, he returned to the Dominican Republic in his late teens. He graduated with honours in law from the University of Santo Domingo and became a successful teacher and journalist. He practiced law privately before making the transition to politics.

      Fernández vowed to end political corruption and, in one of his first moves as president, increased the salaries of various government officials, including his own, maintaining that if employees were properly paid, they would be less willing to accept bribes. Other areas that came under his scrutiny were the judiciary, police, military, and state-owned companies. He also planned to address severe economic problems, especially unemployment. The latter had prompted approximately one million Dominicans to move to the U.S., sometimes illegally, in order to find work. He also promised to strengthen manufacturing and agriculture and to improve foreign policy.

      Though Fernández inherited a country rife with problems, he seemed enthusiastic and regarded the situation as a challenge. "Countries can be governed democratically," he said. "Instead of seeing this as a weak administration, we should see this as an opportunity."

      (AMANDA E. FULLER)

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▪ president of Dominican Republic

in full  Leonel Antonio Fernández Reyna 

born December 26, 1953, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

      politician who served as president of the Dominican Republic (1996–2000; 2004– ).

      Fernández lived in New York City beginning in 1962 and attended schools there. He returned to the Dominican Republic in 1971 and in 1978 graduated from the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo with honours in law. He worked as a teacher and journalist and also practiced law before entering politics. The presidential candidate of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), he lost the first round of the elections to the mayor of Santo Domingo, José Francisco Peña Gómez, of the Dominican Revolutionary Party. After forming an alliance with the ruling Social Christian Reformist Party, however, Fernández won the second round, held on June 30, 1996, by a narrow margin. In what was a racially charged campaign, he had the support of both outgoing President Joaquín Balaguer (Balaguer, Joaquín) and of Juan Bosch (Bosch, Juan), founder of the PLD. The two put aside their differences to ensure that Fernández, who was of mixed race, would defeat Peña, who was of Haitian descent. At age 42, Fernández was the youngest person ever elected to the office.

      Fernández vowed to end political corruption, and toward this end one of his first acts as president was to increase the salaries of elected officials, including his own. He maintained that public employees would be less inclined to accept bribes if they were properly paid. He also planned closer oversight of the judiciary, police, and military, and he promised greater scrutiny of state-owned firms and reforms to strengthen manufacturing and agriculture. In 1999 he announced an initiative to broaden the country's economic base by attracting high-technology firms to the Dominican Republic. He attempted to improve the nation's image abroad and in August 1998 served as host of a regional summit of Caribbean nations. In April 1998 he restored diplomatic relations with Cuba. Constitutionally barred from running for reelection, Fernández left office in 2000. In 2004 he was easily elected president, defeating President Hipólito Mejía Domínguez, whose Dominican Revolutionary Party had altered the constitution to allow the president to run for reelection. Fernández was reelected to a third term in 2008.

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