In Santo Domingo, a senior leader of Dominican Republic’s main opposition party has drawn public attention to a unfolding humanitarian crisis facing the nation’s senior population, leveling sharp criticism at the current administration for failing to protect vulnerable older citizens. Yamel García, who leads the Secretariat for Older Adults and the Elderly within the opposition People’s Force party, made the remarks shortly after presiding over a party gathering to swear in newly recruited members. Citing official demographic data published by the Dominican Republic’s National Statistics Office, García revealed that more than one out of every five older adults in the country are currently living in precarious, high-risk conditions that leave them exposed to a range of systemic threats. According to García, the current government has systematically sidelined the needs of senior citizens, shifting policy priorities away from social protection programs that serve this demographic and leaving millions without a critical safety net. The situation is particularly acute for older residents living in marginalized, high-risk communities across the country, he explained. These groups already lack access to basic support services, and they are disproportionately ill-equipped to navigate cascading challenges ranging from ongoing national economic instability to the growing frequency of climate-fueled natural disasters. Without targeted government intervention to expand social assistance and adaptive infrastructure, millions of seniors will continue to face unnecessary hardship that violates their basic right to dignified aging, García added. The opposition’s announcement comes amid growing national debate over social policy and resource allocation ahead of upcoming electoral cycles, putting pressure on ruling party officials to respond to the accusations of neglect and outline concrete plans to address the unmet needs of the country’s expanding older adult population.