Santo Domingo.– President Leonel Fernandez Reyna celebrated his 56th birthday yesterday. He was born in Santo Domingo on 26 December 1953, son of the late Jose Antonio Fernandez and Yolanda Reyna Romero.

Fernandez was first elected president of the Dominican Republic in 1996, winning in the second round, in an alliance with the PRSC party, beating the late PRD leader Jose Francisco Peña Gomez. At the time he was one of the youngest leaders in the Americas.

His party, the PLD went on to lose the 2000 elections, and Fernandez took on the party leadership following the death of his guide and mentor, Professor Juan Bosch. Leonel Fernandez returned to power after a conclusive election victory in 2004. He was re-elected with 53% of the votes in the 2008 elections.