At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Dominican Republic

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna
• Head of Government: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna
• 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 150 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 4-year term.
• In the Senate (Senado) 30 members are elected by simple majority vote within constituencies to serve 4-year terms. In the Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados) 149 members are elected by party-list system with proportional distribution of seats to serve 4-year terms.

Main Candidates in the Presidential race:

• Hipólito MEJÍA
  • Party: Dominician Revolutionary Party (PRD)
• Danilo MEDINA
  • Party: Domican Liberation Party (PLD)
• Joaquín BALAGUER
  • Party: Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC)
• Other Candidates
  • Party: N/A

Last Presidential election:

• Presidential elections were last held on May 16 & June 30, 1996. President FERNANDEZ Reyna received 51.25% of the vote, thereby defeating Jose Francisco PENA Gomez, his closest competitor with 48.75% of the vote.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 8,562,623 (2000)
• Registered Voters: 4,251,218 (1998)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 4,272,748 (2000)

·         Is Dominican Republic a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Dominican Republic ratified CEDAW: Yes (2 September 1982)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 24 (Chamber of Deputies); 2 (Senate) (following the 1998 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 101 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Dominican Republic a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Dominican Republic ratified CRPD: Yes (18 August 2009)

·         Population with a disability: 1,284,393 (est.)