Former President Mejia blinks first in opposition party staredown

Santo Domingo.- After months of heated and often violent confrontations within Dominican Republic’s major opposition party PRD, supporters of former president Hipolito Mejia on Tuesday announced they’ll attend the Political Commission’s next meeting, called by its president Miguel Vargas.

Speaking on behalf of the mediation commission, Guido Gomez Mazara said Vargas will announce the date for the meeting in the coming days and will present the proposals for unity.

Although he acknowledged that Vargas has yet to respond any of the proposals to reach an agreement for that meeting’s agenda, the PRD leader said “there have been discussions with some members of the Commission.”

Gomez didn’t specify the proposals, and the PRD Convention tentatively slated for October is subject to what’s decided at the meeting.

He said Mejía as well as the other ousted senior leaders have asked the mediators to not address their cases, to see if an agreement can be reached to an end the party division.

Supporters of senior leaders Luis Abinader and José Leonel Cabrera were also instructed to attend the Political COmission’s meeting.

Also president during Gómez’s announcement were senior leaders Eligio Jáquez, Rafael Suberví Bonilla and Ana María Acevedo.