Santo Domingo: Voters in the Dominican Republic's presidential election Sunday are expected to give the country's incumbent leader, Danilo Medina, a fresh chance to make progress against grinding poverty and widespread crime.

Medina's centrist PLD party has been in power for 12 years in the Spanish-speaking country, which shares the island of Hispaniola with its troubled neighbor, Haiti.

The Dominican Republic's economy is booming thanks to the millions of dollars foreigners spend visiting the Caribbean tourist haven's luxury hotels and beaches. The economy grew seven percent last year, and inflation was at a measly 2.3 percent.

But 40 percent of the nation's 10 million residents are estimated to live in poverty and the unemployment rate is about 14 percent, according to government figures.

Critics complain that crime has worsened under Medina, and say that his party has been in power for too long.

Medina also faces allegations he has unfairly used electoral funds, and broad international criticism over policies that discriminate against the Dominican-born children of Haitian migrant workers.

Thousands of these Dominicans never received local identification, and cannot vote in their own country. They say his government has intentionally marginalized them for racist, economic and social reasons.

Nevertheless the 64 year-old Medina is the most popular leader in Latin America. According to a survey by Mexican consultancy Mitofsky, Dominicans give him an 89 percent approval rating.

If re-elected, it would be his fourth consecutive term in office.

A landslide victory?

Surveys of voting intentions by pollsters such as Gallup indicate that Medina will get around 60 percent of the vote, enough to win the election outright with no runoff.

Medina's nearest rival, social democrat Luis Abinader, had 29 percent support, the survey showed.

Many of Medina's supporters tout the state of the economy, and improvements in education, as his major accomplishments.

When Medina was elected in 2012 he was supposed to be limited to one four-year stint as president. But he passed a reform in 2015 that has allowed him to run for re-election.

The 48 year-old Abinader has focused heavily on blaming Medina for government corruption and the country's high crime rate.

"We have two options here: democracy, or one-party dictatorship," said Abinader, a wealthy businessmen of Lebanese ancestry, at a recent public appearance in a working class neighborhood.

On Saturday, vote monitors met with opposition members who complained that the president had an unfair campaign funds advantage, and that his party controls the government agencies that make key electoral decisions.

Medina shrugs off the criticism.

"Businessmen give more to the person who is going to win ... so now I have the privilege of being able to pay for more advertising time," the president said.

Some 6.7 million of the country's 10 million residents are eligible to vote for president. Also being elected are 32 senators, 190 lower house deputies, and local officials.

Polls will be open from 1000 to 2200 GMT on Sunday.

AFP