PRD Deputy criticizes Abinader’s speech: «He offered no answers to the ills afflicting the population». Legislator Ramón Raposo, from the Dominican Revolutionary Party, harshly questioned President Luis Abinader‘s recent address before the National Assembly, considering it repetitive and superficial in the face of the ills afflicting the Dominican people.
Raposo argued that the president’s message was limited to highlighting macroeconomic figures, such as GDP growth estimated at 4.5% for 2026 by the International Monetary Fund, and 4.2% inflation. However, according to the deputy, this data does not translate into tangible benefits for the citizenry. Instead of detailing how to mitigate the ills afflicting them, the speech evaded urgent issues.
Public debt and sustainability in doubt
One of the key points is the public debt, which reaches 58.9% of projected GDP, according to independent economists. Raposo lamented the absence of clear plans for its sustainability, a problem that persists from previous administrations and limits investments in vital sectors.
Education and health: insufficient budgets
The education budget for 2026 amounts to RD$332,030.5 million, but barely a minimum percentage will go toward school infrastructure and equipment. No educational quality indicators or guarantees for subsidies and scholarships were mentioned, which worsens the ills afflicting low-income families. In health, the deterioration of public hospitals is evident in long waits and a lack of services, worsened by scandals such as the SENASA one.
Poverty and labor informality without strategies
- The official narrative emphasizes the reduction of extreme poverty, but specific strategies against labor informality are lacking, affecting more than 50% of the Dominican workforce, according to Central Bank data.
- Other ills afflicting the population include scarce formal employment, deficient infrastructure, and limited access to basic services.
«People need real solutions, not rhetoric», Raposo emphasized. This speech, Abinader’s sixth before the Assembly, follows a historical pattern seen in previous governments, where the emphasis on economic achievements ignores the daily pulse of the population. Experts agree: without deep reforms, the ills afflicting the nation will persist. Within the PRD, there is an insistence on demanding real accountability for 2026.
The debate regarding the ills afflicting the Dominican population remains open, with calls for concrete actions beyond official figures.
