In a 2006 interview, she admitted that, earlier in life, she hadn't had much of an idea of the duties of a first lady until Carmen Quidiello (wife of Juan Bosch) assumed the office in 1963.
[3] She admired Quidiello and how she expanded the role of Dominican first ladies during her brief tenure, which was cut short by a 1963 military coup that overthrew President Bosch.
Mera and Jorge jointly decided not to use the existing presidential office on the palace's second floor, which had been previously occupied by Rafael Trujillo during his dictatorship and former President Joaquín Balaguer.
[1] In 1983, the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) moved its headquarters to Santo Domingo with Mera's support.
[3] Notably, Mera chose not to serve as head of the National Council for Children (Conani), which had been established by her predecessor, Renée Klang de Guzmán, explaining that a first lady needed to focus on more than just one job or position.
That same year, First Lady Asela Mera de Jorge was selected as the Dominican Revolutionary Party candidate for Senate from the Distrito Nacional when the previous PRD nominee, Santo Domingo Mayor José Francisco Peña Gómez, dropped out of the race at the last minute.
[2] In 2001, The Supreme Court of the Dominican Republic overturned Jorge's conviction, citing ill treatment by the Balaguer government.
[3] Asela Mera de Jorge died on June 14, 2007, from a diabetic coma at her home in the Naco neighborhood of Santo Domingo at the age of 73.