Dominican Republic

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The Dominican Republic is located in the central Caribbean and covers 48,322 square kilometers (18,657 square miles) of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with Haiti. In 2003 the republic's population was roughly 8.7 million. The country is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on its north coast and the Caribbean Sea on its south coast. Mountain chains, or cordilleras, frame the fertile Cibao valley; the country also has humid lowlands and several rivers. The Dominican capital of Santo Domingo was the first city in the Western Hemisphere.

The Dominican Republic's relatively high 2002 per capita gross domestic product ($6,300) masks the country's marked income inequality. After spectacular economic growth in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Dominican economy experienced a major bank collapse in mid–2003. This resulted in a severe economic downturn accompanied by inflation and a sharp devaluation of the peso.

Although the Dominican Republic was a Spanish colony for three hundred years, the country gained its independence from Haiti in 1844. Until 1961, the republic experienced periods of instability and brutal dictatorships, most notably that of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Mólina (1891–1961) from 1930 to 1961. After a brief democratic respite in 1962, a U.S. military intervention in 1965, and an authoritarian regime for the next twelve years under Trujillo loyalist Joaquin Balaguer (1907–2002), democracy began to take root in 1978.

This democratic shift occurred with the election of Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) candidates Antonio Guzman (1911–1982), who served from 1978 to 1982, and Salvador Jorge Blanco (b. 1926), who served from 1982 to 1986. In a series of increasingly fraudulent elections, the Social Christian Reformist Party's (PRSC) Joaquin Balaguer served as president again between 1986 and 1996. Signaling the emergence of a younger generation of political actors, the Dominican Liberation Party's (PLD) Leonel Fernández (b. 1953) served as president from 1996 to 2000 and was reelected for the 2004–2008 term. The PRD's Hipolito Mejia (b. 1941) was president from 2000 to 2004.

The Dominican Republic is a representative democracy, based on a 1966 constitution that was adopted after the U.S. military intervention of 1965. The government has executive, legislative, and judicial branches. In reality, in this presidential system the executive has overwhelming power, so much that the practice of government has been labeled "neosultanistic" (Hartlyn 1998, p. 17). For the most part, the Dominican bureaucracy remains centralized and politicized.

Historically, the bicameral legislature has been a rubber stamp for the president, although since the democratic transition in 1978 the Congress has had some autonomy. A Supreme Court exercises judicial power at the national level and over lower courts created by Congress. Although judicial reform began in the late 1990s, the courts remain characterized by a high degree of politicization, corruption, and a lack of citizen access. The Dominican Republic's legal system is based on the French model.

With the democratic transition in 1978 came more respect for democratic freedom and rights, a greater role for political parties and interest groups, and progress toward fair and free elections. Three political parties—the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), and Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC)—dominated the political scene during

the 1990s and early 2000s. However, these parties remained personalist (i.e., focused on certain individuals) and did little between elections. The main broadly based pressure group was the Collective of Popular Organizations (COP).

Elections in the Dominican Republic have been considered fair since 1996, with the electoral board playing its mandated role of creating accurate voter lists. Most notable is the growth of civic associations since the 1990s. Organizations such as Participacion Ciudadana are promoting political participation not only through voting, but also by educating Dominicans that government institutions should be held accountable. The media generally are free of censorship.

In terms of personal security and justice, rights are respected more for the wealthier and lighter-skinned Dominican citizens. Human rights groups have cited the Dominican government for abuses against Haitian workers or darkerskinned Dominicans who may "look Haitian."

Caribbean Region.

Hartlyn, Jonathan. The Struggle for Democratic Politics in the Dominican Republic. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1998.

Moya Pons, Frank. The Dominican Republic: A National History. New Rochelle, NY: Hispaniola Books, 1995.

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