WXTV New York to cover Dominican Republic elections on site

Univision O&O WXTV New York will feature a week (May 12-16) of special reports leading up to the Friday, May 16, presidential election in the Dominican Republic.

Reporter Merijoel Durán, a Dominican native, will head the coverage beginning Monday, May 12 on the 6 and 11 p.m. broadcasts of Noticias Univision 41 (Univision 41 News). Durán will be joined on air by Esperanza Cervallos, WXTV’s correspondent in the Dominican Republic, the only New York TV news reporter permanently based in the island.

Dominicans are the second largest Hispanic nationality in the New York tri-state area, an estimated 756,000 strong. Some 57,000 Dominicans are expected to vote in New York City alone on May 16 since the Dominican Republic permits expatriate voting in presidential elections.

The week of special reports begins with a look at the candidates. President Leonel Fernández is running for re-election as the incumbent. His two principal opponents are Miguel Vargas Maldonado, a noted art collector, and Amable Aristy Castro, a colorful figure who has been known to toss cash from a helicopter flying over poor neighborhoods.

On May 15, the last day of campaigning, and on Election Day (May 16), Durán will join Cevallos to report live from the Dominican Republic. WXTV’s coverage will also feature expert analysts and team coverage of New York area expatriate voting in the predominantly Dominican Washington Heights section of Manhattan.