Dominican Republic ? Incumbent Leonel Fernandez has declared victory in the Dominican Republic’s presidential election and his main rival said he accepted the results.

The Central Electoral Commission says Fernandez was leading with 53 percent of the vote and 49 percent of precincts counted. He obtained 995,000 votes out of the 1.9 million counted as of early today. Officials have not yet declared him the winner, however.

Fernandez said that he interpreted the apparent victory as a renewal of confidence in the Dominican Liberation Party. He also said he would continue revitalizing the economy.