Political Overview
Since the establishment of constitutional government in 1966, the Dominican Republic has experienced a troubled electoral history, including the manipulation of results and disenfranchisement of tens of thousands of opposition voters during the 1994 presidential elections. The subsequent political crisis was eventually resolved by the "Pact for Democracy," an agreement that called for electoral reform and new elections in 1996.
The 1996 presidential elections represented a historic turning point, as the election results were peacefully accepted by the three major political parties: the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) and the Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC).
Despite progress in the administration of elections, the three main political parties have experienced significant internal conflict due to the loss of caudillos such as Joaquin Balaguer, José Francisco Peña Gómez, and Juan Bosch. The candidate selection process and the organization of conventions for the May 16, 2004 presidential elections were questioned in two of the three parties, resulting in internal infighting and fractured party structures.
Program Activities Election Observation
Since 1994, NDI has conducted programs to help strengthen the electoral process and build confidence in the democratic system. NDI's international observer delegation to the 1994 presidential election detected high levels of irregularities, prompting the Institute and other members of the international community to question the legitimacy of the elections.
Opposition party leaders have since told NDI that the delegation's position helped prevent post-electoral violence and contributed to the peaceful resolution of the electoral crisis.
NDI observers also played important roles during the 1996 and May 2000 presidential elections. For the 2000 elections, NDI and the Carter Center organized a 24-member joint international observation delegation. The delegation lauded the elections overall, but recommended changes to enhance citizen confidence in the electoral authorities and to avoid disenfranchising voters.
Recent elections have also benefited from the expertise of Participación Ciudadana (PC), a civic organization that works to increase confidence and participation in the political process. Drawing on their experience from observing the 1996, 2000 presidential and 1998 and 2002 congressional elections, as well as other domestic observation initiatives throughout the region, Participación Ciudadana organized more than 6,000 volunteers to observe the 2004 presidential elections. NDI joined Participación Ciudadana, the Organization of American States (OAS) and the regional network of domestic observation organizations Acuerdo de Lima in sponsoring an international observer delegation to help monitor the 2004 presidential elections.
Support for Electoral Reforms
To help develop consensus for recommended reforms to the Dominican electoral process, NDI, the Carter Center and the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) supported seminars sponsored by the electoral commission (or Junta Central Electoral) and Participación Ciudadana in 2000. Among other joint activities, the partner institutions sponsored the participation of international electoral reform experts in seminars on redistricting, absolute majority (run-off) systems, and election-day administration.
Leadership Prgram
NDI launched the Political Leadership Program in 1999, a regional program to strengthen the leadership skills and ability of emerging political leaders to promote the modernization and renewal of political parties. Following a rigorous selection process, the one-year Political Leadership Program begins with an intensive, ten-day leadership development seminar and continues in-country with the young leaders implementing concrete party-strengthening projects.
Since 2001, 24 representatives from the PLD, PRD and PRSC have participated in the program. In coordination with Participación Ciudadana, NDI provides technical assistance to participant party strengthening projects. Project results have included: changes within municipal party leadership structures; increased training capabilities for women's party wings; the creation of a party vocational training school in an underprivileged neighborhood; and the decentralization of political training from the capital to the provinces. NDI technical assistance has included trainings on strategic planning, women's participation, youth and volunteer mobilization, media relations, outreach to underrepresented sectors, political negotiation, and community organizing.
Six emerging leaders from the PLD, PRD and PRSC are participating in the 2005 Political Leadership Program.
Contact Information
For more information on NDI's programs in the Dominican Republic please contact:
Luis Maes, Senior Program Assistant for Latin America and the Caribbean
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Katy Mudge, Senior Program Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean
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