José Rafael Abinader Explained

José Rafael Abinader
Office:Senator for Santiago Province
Term Start:16 August 1998
Term End:16 August 2002
Predecessor:Eduardo Estrella
Successor:Víctor Méndez
Birth Date:1929 3, df=yes
Birth Place:Tamboril, Dominican Republic
Death Place:Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Party:Dominican Revolutionary Party (1961–2014)
Parents:José S. Abinader, Esther Wassaf
Spouse:Rosa Sula Corona Caba
Children:4, including Luis Abinader

José Rafael Abinader Wasaf (Arabic: خوسيه رافائيل أبي نادر واصف; 2 March 1929 – 4 November 2018) was a politician, lawyer and writer from the Dominican Republic and Vice-President of the Dominican Revolutionary Party.[1] He founded the Universidad Dominicana O&M, in which he was rector.[1] Abinader as a businessman was president of Grupo Abicor, and at the time of his death he was worth US$600 million.

Jose Rafael Abinader was the son of José S. Abinader, a Lebanese immigrant from Baskinta, Mount Lebanon, who arrived to the country in 1898, and Esther Wassaf, born in Monte Cristi to Lebanese parents from Baskinta as well. When he was 11 years old, his family moved from the town of Tamboril to the hamlet of Gurabito (located on the outskirts of Santiago de los Caballeros).

He studied law, and got a doctorate.[1] He married Rosa S. Corona Caba, and had 3 children, among them the businessman and politician Luis Abinader.[2] Later, he separated from his wife, without getting divorced, and had a concubinage with Romina C. León (born 1971), who later became Dominican Republic consul to Valencia, and had one daughter with her.

Abinader was a member of the National Executive Committee of the Dominican Revolutionary Party starting in 1963.[1] [3]

He was Minister of Finance of the Dominican Republic in 1965 and from 1982 to 1984.[4]

He founded the Dominican Social Alliance party (ASD; now the Modern Revolutionary Party or PRM); in 1998 he was elected Senator for the Santiago Province in an alliance with the Dominican Revolutionary Party.[5]

Abinader was the ASD's presidential candidate for three times: 1982, 1990 and 1996. Thirty-four years after Abinader's first presidential campaign, his son Luis Abinader became the presidential candidate of that party (although renamed to the PRM) for the 2016 general election.[6] and the 2020 general election, winning the latter.

Works

Notes and References

  1. Web site: José Rafael Abinader. 14 August 2014. Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic. Spanish.
  2. News: José Rafael Abinader: "Me arrepiento del tiempo que le dediqué a la política" . Irrizarri . Evelyn . 26 September 2013 . . es . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140814105936/http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2013/09/26/ldquo-arrepiento-del-tiempo-que-dedique-politica.-fue-esteril-frustranterdquo . 14 August 2014 . 14 August 2014.
  3. Web site: PRD publica listado oficial de miembros del CEN . 30 July 2013. 14 August 2014. Listín Diario. Santo Domingo . Spanish.
  4. Web site: Historia - Ministerio de Hacienda de la República Dominicana.
  5. Web site: Encuentra aquí información de Elecciones del pueblo. Boleta electoral para tu escuela ¡Entra ya! | Rincón del Vago. 14 December 2001.
  6. News: Thomas . Juan Eduardo . 56 personas en 54 años han querido dirigir la República . 5 September 2018 . . 25 April 2016 . Santo Domingo . Spanish.