Political System

Under the Constitution of 1994, the Dominican Republic has a representative democratic government divided into three independent branches: executive,legislative, and judicial. The system of government is defined in the Constitution as being democratic, republican and presidential.

The executive power is exercised by the President of the Republic, who is head of the State and the government, the Public Administration, the Military Forces, and a Cabinet of Ministers appointed by him. The President is elected by direct vote for a period of four years.

The legislative power is vested in a bicameral Congress, formed by the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. Members of both Chambers are elected by direct vote for a term of four years. There are actually 30 senators, each representing one of the 29 provinces and the National District, where the capital is located, and 145 deputies, each representing 50,000 inhabitants, plus a fraction exceeding 25,000, of every province and the National District.