Dominican government shakeup includes political payoff

Santo Domingo.- The Presidency of the Dominican Republic announcedsweeping changes of officials Monday night including a new Chief of the NationalPolice and of other law enforcement agencies, while several leaders of the oppositionPRD party were also named to posts inpresident Danilo Medina´s administration.

Presidency spokesman RobertoRodriguez tweeted the executive orders which designate Nelson Peguero as new NationalPolice chief, who replaces Manuel Castro.

In the MetropolitanTransit Authority (AMET) Frener Bello replaces Pablo Arturo Pujols

Francisco Pagan replacesMiguel Pimentel as director of the State Engineers Supervisory Office (OISOE); AlbertoHolguin is replaced by Horacio Mazara in the National Water Institute.

Opposition party andother designations

Senior PRD partyleader Anibal Garcia will head the Cooperative Development Institute (Idecoop)replacing the controversial Pedro Corporan; and the psychiatrist Cesar Mella wasappointed advisor to the Public Health System.

The designations of PRD leader comes just two months after it announced a political alliance with the ruling PLD party