IFES Election Guide - Country Profile: Dominican Republic

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Upcoming Elections

Legislative
May 2014
Presidential
May 2016

Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
Region: Americas

Description of government structure:

Chief of State: President Danilo MEDINA Sanchez
Head of Government: President Danilo MEDINA Sanchez
Assembly: Dominican Republic has a bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consisting of the Senate (Senado) with 32 seats and the Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados) with 178 seats.

Description of electoral system:

The President is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a 4-year term.
In the Senate (Senado) 32 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 4-year terms*. In the Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados) 178 members are elected through an open-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms.**

* The term of office will be six years from 2010-2016. After that, it will return to four years.

** Seats are apportioned to 30 multi-member districts (29 provinces and the federal district) in proportion to population. No district magnitude may be less than 2. The term of office will be six years from 2010-2016. After that, it will return to four years.