[4] He defeated José Francisco Peña Gómez of the PRD in the runoff after incumbent President Joaquín Balaguer, told his supporters to back Fernández.

[4] This growth, the fastest of any Caribbean country, was fueled by increased foreign investment and the privatisation of state owned enterprises.

[4] However Fernández's approval ratings were only 45% by 1999, with strong discontent among the poor who had not benefited from economic growth and had seen power cuts and price rises.

[7] By this time, Balaguer was completely blind and unable to walk without assistance,[8] but still had many committed supporters which meant he could hold the balance between the other 2 main candidates.

[4] Mejía campaigned by attacking inequality between rich and poor, pledging to increase social spending and to preserve a role for the state in the economy.

[10] Fears that the election could be affected by violence were raised after an official of the PLD was killed after an incident involving the bodyguards of the PRD's Mejía.

[13] Mejía finished just a few thousand votes short of an outright majority, and was thus due to face a runoff with Medina on 30 June.