The Dominican Republic is a representative democracy, where the President of the Dominican Republic functions as both the head of the government and head of the multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in the bicameral National Congress. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
Juan Emilio Bosch y Gaviño was a Dominican politician, historian, writer, essayist, educator, and the first democratically elected president of the Dominican Republic for a brief time in 1963. Previously, he had been the leader of the Dominican opposition in exile to the dictatorial regime of Rafael Trujillo for over 25 years. To this day, he is remembered as an honest politician and regarded as one of the most prominent writers in Dominican literature. He founded both the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) in 1939 and the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) in 1973.
Leonel Antonio Fernández Reyna is a Dominican lawyer, academic, and was the 50th and 52nd President of the Dominican Republic from 1996 to 2000 and from 2004 to 2012. From 2016 until 2020, he was the President of the EU–LAC Foundation.
The Dominican Liberation Party is a political party in the Dominican Republic. Founded in 1973 by former president Juan Bosch, the party, along with the Dominican Revolutionary Party, and Social Christian Reformist Party, has dominated politics in the country since the establishment of democracy in the early 1960s.
The Dominican Revolutionary Party is a political party in the Dominican Republic. Traditionally a left-of-centre party and social democratic in nature, the party has shifted since the 2000s toward the political centre. The party's distinctive color is white. Traditionally, the party has two presidents: the "Titular President" and the "Acting President" ; until 2010 the presidents and the Secretary-General were proscribed to run for any elected office.
José Francisco Peña Gómez was a politician from the Dominican Republic. He was the leader of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), a three-time candidate for president of the Dominican Republic and former Mayor of Santo Domingo. He is considered, along with Joaquín Balaguer and Juan Bosch, as one of the most prominent Dominican political figures of the 20th century.
General elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 1982. Salvador Jorge Blanco of the Dominican Revolutionary Party won the presidential election, whilst his party also won the parliamentary elections. Voter turnout was 71.6%.
General elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 1934. Two years earlier, the Dominican Party of President Rafael Trujillo had been declared the only legally permitted party. However, the country had effectively been a one-party state since Trujillo assumed office in 1930.
General elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 1938. At the time, the country was a single-party state, with the Dominican Party as the only legally permitted party.
General elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 1942. Rafael Trujillo, the country's de facto leader since 1930, was the sole presidential candidate and was returned to office unopposed. His Dominican Party won every seat in the Congressional elections.
General elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 1947. For the first time since the 1924 elections, and the only time during the three-decade rule of Rafael Trujillo, there was still more than one presidential candidate by election day. However, incumbent president Trujillo was re-elected after receiving 93% of the vote. His Dominican Party won every seat in the Congressional elections, as it had at every election since its founding.
General elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 1 June 1966. Following the 1963 coup which toppled elected president Juan Bosch of the Dominican Revolutionary Party, supporters of his constitutional reforms were excluded from the elections, although Bosch himself contested them. The result was a victory for Joaquín Balaguer of the Reformist Party, whilst his party also won the Congressional elections. Voter turnout was 75.6%.
General elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 1970. The main opposition party, the Dominican Revolutionary Party, did not contest the election, leaving only the ruling Reformist Party and some right-wing and centre-right parties. Incumbent Joaquín Balaguer won the presidential election, whilst his Reformist Party won the Congressional elections. Voter turnout was 63.5%.
General elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 1974. The main opposition party, the Dominican Revolutionary Party, did not contest the election, leaving only the ruling Reformist Party and some right-wing and centre-right parties. Incumbent Joaquín Balaguer won the presidential election, whilst his Reformist Party won the Congressional elections in alliance with the National Youth Movement. Voter turnout was 71.7%.
General elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 1978. Following diplomatic pressure from American President Jimmy Carter, the elections were free and competitive and contested by all political parties, unlike the previous elections in the 1970s. Antonio Guzmán Fernández won the presidential election, whilst his Dominican Revolutionary Party won the Congressional elections. Voter turnout was 76%.
General elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 1986. Joaquín Balaguer of the Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC) won the presidential election, whilst the PRSC-led alliance won the Congressional elections. Voter turnout was 72%.
General elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 1990. Following a long vote count, Joaquín Balaguer of the Social Christian Reformist Party (PSRC) was declared winner of the presidential election, whilst in the Congressional elections the PSRC received the most votes and won a majority in the Senate, although the Dominican Liberation Party won the most seats in the House of Representatives.
General elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 1994. Joaquín Balaguer of the Social Christian Reformist Party won the presidential election, whilst the Dominican Revolutionary Party-led alliance won the Congressional elections. Voter turnout was 87.6%.
Presidential elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 1996, with a second round on 30 June. Whilst José Francisco Peña Gómez won the most votes in the first round, he was defeated by Leonel Fernández in the second round, after the Social Christian Reformist Party, whose candidate had lost in the first round, declared their support for Fernández. Voter turnout was 78.6% in the first round and 76.8% in the second.
The 1963 Dominican coup d'état was a coup d'état that took place on 25 September 1963 against President Juan Bosch in the Dominican Republic. Juan Bosch had been the first democratically elected president after the assassination of the former dictator Rafael Trujillo, but he faced criticism due to his policies, which were seen as leftist. This led to a coup that replaced his government with a military junta; which itself would be replaced with a civilian junta.
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