By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

          SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- The runner-up
          candidates withdrew from the Dominican presidential race today, recognizing a
          first-round victory by a populist who promises to spread the benefits of a
          four-year economic boom to the poor.

          With all but 18 of 11,422 polling stations reporting from Tuesday's election, officials
          said Hipolito Mejia has 49.86 percent of the vote, just shy of the majority needed to
          avoid a June 30 runoff.

          But Mejia could emerge victorious now because of a rule that allows the elections
          board to declare a winner if any party declines to participate in a second
          round, said Dominican Liberation Party candidate Danilo Medina, who
          finished second.

          At a news conference, Medina said he was withdrawing because forcing
          the country to endure another round of campaigning would be "a tortuous
          road" that could create instability and hurt the economy.

          Ex-President Joaquin Balaguer also recognized a victory for Mejia's
          Dominican Revolutionary Party, according to his party's president.

          In the first round, Medina, a free-market advocate, had 24.95 percent.
          The conservative Balaguer, 93, won 24.61 percent, despite blindness
          and frailty.

          There was no immediate comment from the elections board, which was
          re-examining 46,000 invalidated ballots to determine whether the populist
          Mejia -- who already has declared victory -- had cleared the 50-percent
          threshold.

          Balaguer's and Medina's parties had been widely expected to unite in a
          run-off, as they did in 1996 when their combined efforts helped the
          Liberation Party's Leonel Fernandez narrowly defeat the Revolutionary
          Party's Jose Francisco Pena Gomez.

          Mejia behaved like a president-elect throughout the day Wednesday,
          speaking enthusiastically of his plans to distribute better the fruits of a
          four-year economic boom to the Dominican poor.

          Even Balaguer, who was seven times president of this Caribbean nation
          for most of the last 40 years, ending in 1996, had seemed convinced that
          Mejia might win, shaking his hand in congratulations during a Wednesday
          afternoon meeting at Balaguer's house.

          Mejia has criticized the current government's free-market reforms and
          massive construction projects, accusing it of ignoring the basic needs of
          the poor majority.

          Fernandez -- who was constitutionally barred from running for a second
          consecutive term -- has overseen an almost 40 percent growth in the
          economy over the last four years. But the median income still hovers
          around $2,000 a year and many Dominicans are desperately poor.

          In contrast to Medina, a technocrat who promised that the economic
          success would trickle down to the poor, Mejia promised small public
          works projects, road repairs, sanitation and better schools.

          Balaguer offered to run the country as he did in the past -- with a firm
          hand that controlled everything from the price of gasoline to the National
          Congress. His critics worried about a return to what they said was an
          authoritarian government marked by human rights violations and
          favoritism.

          A small scuffle erupted Wednesday night in front of the Liberation Party
          headquarters between Medina supporters and Mejia backers who were
          passing by in a caravan. Shots were fired twice but there were no
          injuries, said Liberation Party spokesman Abinader Fortunato.

          The election was observed by more than 100 international monitors,
          including delegations from the Atlanta-based Carter Center, the
          Organization of American States, the National Democratic Institute and
          the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.

          IFES President Richard Soudriette said Wednesday his observers had
          seen no evidence of fraud.