Dominican standards, the 1994 campaign was violent and dirty. Peña lost to Balaguer in an extremely tight election marred by numerous irregularities. A number of Peña supporters showed up to vote only to discover their names had vanished from the rolls. Peña called a general strike which was widely supported by his followers. After international protest, an investigation was mounted that raised grave concerns about the poll's legitimacy. The electoral board did not know the total number of registered voters, and the voting lists distributed at polling stations did not match those given to the parties. The investigation also revealed that about 200,000 people had been removed from the polls. After intense negotiations, Balaguer announced that he would leave office prematurely in 1996 after serving seven terms in power. In the 1996 poll, Peña won the first round of voting but fell short of the majority needed. In the second round of voting, Leonel Fernández, a lawyer representing the PLD, won a narrow victory due to an alliance between the PLD with Balaguer's PRSC. Personal life Peña Gómez married four times, the first time with Julia Idalia Guaba Martínez. The children are as follows: Lourdes Fátima, Luz del Alba “Luchy”, José Francisco “José Frank”, and Francisco Antonio “Tony” Peña Guaba. His second marriage was to Ana Rosa Meléndez (former Director of the Museum of Modern Dominican Art); their child was María Rosa Peña Meléndez. His fourth and last marriage was to Peggy Cabral, daughter of the Dominican writer Manuel del Cabral. Peña had nine children in total. Final years Peña Gómez died on May 10, 1998 in Cambita Garabitos, San Cristóbal, 6 days before the mayoral elections of Santo Domingo, in which he was running. Peña Gómez was one of the most popular leaders in recent political history in Dominican Republic, especially among the poor masses. Being a key political figure until his death, the main Dominican Republic international airport was renamed from "Aeropuerto Internacional Las Américas" to "Aeropuerto Internacional Las Américas José Francisco Peña Gómez". Legacy A metro station and an International Airport in Santo Domingo is named in honor of Peña Gómez. See also List of political parties in the Dominican Republic Politics of the Dominican Republic References External links Dominican Today: The legacy of Dr. José Francisco Peña Gómez 1937 births 1998 deaths University of Paris alumni Harvard University alumni Michigan State University alumni Universidad Autónoma de