José Rafael Abinader


José Rafael Abinader Wasaf was a politician, lawyer and writer from the Dominican Republic and Vice-President of the Dominican Revolutionary Party. He founded the Universidad Dominicana O&M, in which he was rector.
Jose Rafael Abinader was the son of José S. Abinader, a Lebanese immigrant from Baskinta, 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.
He studied law, and got a doctorate. He married Rosa S. Corona Caba, and had 3 children, among them the businessman and politician Luis Abinader.
Abinader was a member of the National Executive Committee of the Dominican Revolutionary Party starting in 1963.
He founded the Dominican Social Alliance party ; in 1998 he was elected Senator for the Santiago Province in an alliance with the Dominican Revolutionary Party.
Abinader was the ASD's presidential candidate for three times: 1982, 1990 and 1996. Thirty-four years after Abinader's first presidential campaign, his son Luis Abinader became the presidential candidate of that party for the 2016 general election.

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