SANTO DOMINGO — The Dominican Republic heads to the presidential polls on Sunday in a pandemic-driven drama, with delays caused by one of Latin America's worst outbreaks and the leading candidate briefly suspending appearances after testing positive for coronavirus. Voters are choosing who to tackle the pandemic's impact on the Caribbean's largest economy which is heavily dependent on tourism, an industry leveled by the crisis. Polls suggest the ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) is set to lose power after 16 years as its mismanagement of the outbreak, infighting, corruption allegations and inequality overshadow its strong economic performance. The PLD's candidate, Gonzalo Castillo, 59, is trailing in second place behind Luis Abinader, 52, of the opposition Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM). Both parties are centrist.

Source: International New York Times July 05, 2020 10:52 UTC