Social Democrat Pena Gomez Dies

Veteran social democratic politician Jose Francisco Pena Gomez, 61, has died of a lung edema, his family said. Pena Gomez, leader of the opposition Dominican Revolutionary Party, died at his home Sunday night ahead of municipal and congressional elections scheduled for Saturday. He was a candidate for mayor of the capital, Santo Domingo, and had been the favorite to win. Pena Gomez was an unsuccessful presidential candidate in 1990, 1994 and 1996, when he received a 45.9% plurality of ballots in first-round voting.