term, and having stated on multiple occasions that he would not compete for the presidential nomination, on 30 July 2019, Castillo Terrero announced his intention to appear in the primaries of the PLD. He immediately informed that his campaign manager would be the vice president executive of the CDEEE, Rubén Bichara. On 10 August, the Central Committee of the Dominican Liberation Party selected him along with 10 other pre-candidates to compete for the presidential candidacy in the primaries to be held on 6 October. The other pre-candidates included: Leonel Fernández, Francisco Domínguez Brito, Reinaldo Pared Pérez, Temístocles Montás, Carlos Amarante Baret, Andrés Navarro García, Maritza Hernández, Manuel Crespo, Radhamés Segura and Melanio Paredes. Castillo Terrero's rhetoric presented him as wanting to continue the policies of President Medina. Carlos Amarante Baret and the Secretary General of the PLD, Reinaldo Pared Pérez, on 28 August and 1 September respectively, cited disagreement with the way in which he burst onto the political scene and alleged the abusive use of state resources in his favor. In addition, he was criticized for his lack of political experience and the absence of concrete proposals to address national problems. On 7 September, he became the unitary pre-candidate for supporters of Danilo Medina by being the favorite in three, and tying for favorite first in one out of four surveys taken. Since then, his main objective has been to obtain the support of the electoral base of the party after the departure of former President Leonel Fernández (who formed People's Force), who has become a secondary opponent after the main opposition candidate Luis Abinader. Request for interpellation On 14 March 2017, congressperson Wellington Arnaud asked the Congress of the Republic to interrogate Castillo Terrero (then Minister of Public Works and Communications), regarding the Odebrecht case, to explain the execution of the contracts made with the Brazilian construction company. He assured that in several works there was no evidence of approval of the funds for sinister purposes. On 23 July 2019, Congressman Fidelio Despradel also requested an interpellation, to explain his participation in six works in which Odebrecht had made irregular disbursements through its bribery department, including Miches-Sabana de La Mar, the expansion of the San Pedro de Macorís highway, the Turístico del Este highway, the Coral highway, the Santiago Ecovía and the Cibao-Sur highway. According to the draft resolution that had been deposited in the Chamber of Deputies,