On Thursday, the Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD) held a draw to define the numbers on the ballot with which aspirants will compete for the five vacancies on the National Executive Committee (CEN), in internal elections to be held on November 23. The event, held at the collective's headquarters, was marked by the absence of the main candidates close to the current president of the PRD, Benicio Robinson, including Balbina Herrera, Raphael Buchannan, Arquesio Arias, and José Luis Fábrega, who sent their delegates to draw the ballots. In contrast, the figures representing the renewal wing of the party—such as Pedro Miguel González, Jorge Eduardo Montenegro, Aura Mora, Juan de Dios Caballero, and Calixto Salgado—were present and showed their commitment to a change in the PRD's leadership. The candidate for the First Subsecretary General, Jorge Eduardo Montenegro, who obtained number 3 on the ballot, stated that the draw was "only a symbolic procedure," since the 300 directors who will vote on November 23 "will vote for the proposals and commitment to change, not for a number." "This draw shows that the PRD is more alive than ever. It must turn the page on its recent sad history and again fill the leadership void in the opposition," González pointed out. One of the most emotional moments of the event was led by Bernardo Meneses González, father of Nando Meneses, a candidate for the first vice presidency, who could not attend as he is detained in the case of economic aid. Upon drawing the ballot with number 6, Meneses's father made an impassioned defense of his son, assuring he is "innocent and a victim of political persecution," which provoked an ovation and shouts of support from those present. With the draw concluded, the PRD enters the final stretch toward internal elections that could define the political future of the country's largest collective: a continuity PRD under the shadow of Benicio Robinson, or a renewed and critical party against the government.
