Leonel Fernandez

"We have to recognize victory as well as defeat," Mejia said in a statement after consulting with pollsters from his Dominican Revolutionary Party. With only 3 percent of the votes counted, lawyer-turned-politician Fernandez, who left office amid a corruption scandal in 2000, was well ahead with nearly 51.2 percent of the vote, the national election commission reported.

Under Mejia, prices of staples such as eggs and rice have tripled or quadrupled as the value of the peso has plunged. Many jobs have dried up, and those with work often complain their pay does not keep up with rising costs.

The Japan Times Weekly: May 22, 2004
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