NEW : Preliminary results give former lawmaker Javier Cabreja an early lead . The election is a rematch of the 1994 elections . Dominicans populations abroad play an important role in voting . The winner will need to garner more than 51 % of the vote plus close to half .
NEW : Preliminary results give former lawmaker Danilo Medina an early lead . The election is a rematch of the 2000 elections . Dominican populations abroad play an important role in voting . The winner will need to garner 50 % of the vote plus 1 .