José Rafael Abinader Wasaf ( ar, خوسيه رافائيل أبي نادر واصف; 2 March 1929 – 4 November 2018) was a politician, lawyer and writer from the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

and Vice-President of the

Dominican Revolutionary Party The Dominican Revolutionary Party ( es, link=no, Partido Revolucionario Dominicano, PRD) is a political party in the Dominican Republic. Traditionally a left-of-centre party and social democratic in nature, the party has shifted since the 2000 ...

. He founded the '' Universidad Dominicana O&M'', in which he was

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

. Abinader as a businessman was president of Grupo Abicor, and at the time of his death he was worth US$600 million. Jose Rafael Abinader was the son of José S. Abinader, a Lebanese immigrant from

Baskinta Baskinta ( ar, بسكنتا) is a Lebanese village situated at an altitude ranging from 1250 metres above sea level and climbs up to approximately 1800 meters of height at Qanat Bakish, making it one of the highest villages of Lebanon. It is loca ...

, Mount Lebanon, who arrived to the country in 1898, and Esther Wassaf, born in Monte Cristi to Lebanese parents from Baskinta as well. When he was 11 years old, his family moved from the town of Tamboril to the hamlet of Gurabito (located on the outskirts of

Santiago de los Caballeros Santiago de los Caballeros (; '' en, Saint James of the Knights''), often shortened to Santiago, is the second-largest city in the Dominican Republic and the fourth-largest city in the Caribbean by population. It is the capital of Santiago Prov ...

). He studied

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

, and got a doctorate. He married Rosa S. Corona Caba, and had 3 children, among them the businessman and politician

Luis Abinader Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona (; born 12 July 1967) is a Dominican economist, businessman, and politician who is serving as the 54th president of the Dominican Republic since 2020. He served as the Modern Revolutionary Party candidate for Presi ...

. Abinader was a member of the National Executive Committee () of the

starting in 1963. He was Minister of Finance of the Dominican Republic in 1965 and from 1982 to 1984. He founded the Dominican Social Alliance party (ASD; now the

Modern Revolutionary Party The Modern Revolutionary Party ( es, Partido Revolucionario Moderno or PRM) is a political party in the Dominican Republic. It emerged after a new division within the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD). It was recognized on 9 September 2014. Th ...

or PRM); in 1998 he was elected Senator for the Santiago Province in an alliance with the

. Abinader was the ASD's presidential candidate for three times: 1982, 1990 and 1996. Thirty-four years after Abinader's first

presidential campaign President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese fu ...

, his son

became the presidential candidate of that party (although renamed to the PRM) for the 2016 general election. and the 2020 general election, winning the latter.

Works

* "Ideas económicas y sociales" * "Comentarios acerca del ahorro" * "Bosquejo de un estudio económico" * "La corrupción administrativa en América Latina" * "La sociedad bajo escrutinio" * "Poemas antiguos"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abinader, Jose Rafael 1929 births 2018 deaths Finance ministers of the Dominican Republic People from Santiago Province (Dominican Republic) Dominican Republic people of Lebanese descent 20th-century Dominican Republic lawyers Dominican Republic politicians Dominican Revolutionary Party politicians Members of the Senate of the Dominican Republic Candidates for President of the Dominican Republic Dominican Republic Roman Catholics