PUERTO PLATA — In a pointed address to party leadership over the weekend, former Dominican Republic president Leonel Fernández publicly pressed the current administration to roll back recent domestic fuel price increases, arguing that shifting global oil markets have created room for immediate relief for ordinary consumers.
Speaking at a gathering of his People’s Force (FP) party in Puerto Plata on Sunday, Fernández laid out the context for his demand: the current government raised domestic gasoline prices earlier this year when global crude spiked to $104 per barrel amid escalating conflict in the Middle East, a move that required the state to step in with fuel subsidies to stabilize markets. Now, however, global benchmark crude has settled at roughly $70 per barrel — exactly the price range the government itself projected for coming years when it drafted the 2026 General State Budget.
Given this sharp drop in international costs, Fernández argued that Dominican households deserve to see those savings reflected at the pump. He questioned why domestic fuel rates have stayed locked at their current elevated levels despite the retreat in global crude prices, and went further to level a political accusation against the sitting administration: he claimed the government is intentionally keeping prices high to rake in extra public revenue for hidden political objectives.
Beyond his critique of the administration’s energy pricing policy, Fernández used the party assembly to outline the FP’s coordinated political roadmap ahead of the 2028 Dominican general elections. He called on all party leaders and members to maintain tight unity and disciplined organizational structure, framing the opposition’s goal as preparing to retake national executive power in the upcoming electoral cycle.