Long-form name: Dominican Republic (no short-form name)

Type: republic

Capital: Santo Domingo

Administrative divisions: 29 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, Elias Pina, El Seibo, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samana, Sanchez Ramirez, San Cristobal, San Juan, San Pedro De Macoris, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Valverde

Independence: 27 February 1844 (from Haiti)

Constitution: 28 November 1966

Legal system: based on French civil codes

National holiday: Independence Day, 27 February (1844)

Branches: president popularly elected for a four-year term; bicameral legislature (National Congress--30-seat Senate and 120-seat Chamber of Deputies elected for four-year terms); Supreme Court

Leader: @m5Chief of State and Head of Government--President Joaquin BALAGUER Ricardo (since 16 August 1986); Vice President Carlos A. MORALES Troncoso (since 16 August 1986)

Suffrage: universal and compulsory, over age 18 or married, except members of the armed forces and police, who cannot vote

Elections: last national election 16 May 1986; next election 16 May 1990

Political parties and leaders: Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), Salvador Jorge Blanco, Jacobo Majluta, and Jose Francisco Pena Gomez; Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC), Joaquin Balaguer Ricardo (formed in 1984 by merger of Reformist Party and Social Christian Revolutionary Party); Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), Juan Bosch Gavino; The Structure (LE), Andres Van Der Horst; Democratic Quisqueyan Party (PQD), Elias Wessin Chavez; Constitutional Action Party (PAC), Luis Arzeno Rodriguez; National Progressive Force (FNP), Marino Vinicio Castillo; Popular Christian Party (PPC), Rogelio Delgado Bogaert; Dominican Communist Party (PCD), Narciso Isa Conde; Anti-Imperialist Patriotic Union (UPA), Ivan Rodriguez; in 1983 several leftist parties, including the PCD, joined to form the Dominican Leftist Front (FID); however they still retain individual party structures

Voting strength: (1986 election) 72% voter turnout; PRSC 40.6%, PRD 33.5%, PLD 18.3%, LE 5.3%, minor parties 2.3%

Communists: an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 members in several legal and illegal factions; effectiveness limited by ideological differences and organizational inadequacies

Member of: FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IRC, ISO, ITU, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Eduardo LEON; Chancery at 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-6280; there are Dominican Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Consulates in Charlotte Amalie (Virgin Islands), Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Minneapolis, Mobile, Ponce (Puerto Rico), and San Francisco; US--Ambassador Lowell C. KILDAY; Embassy at the corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Santo Domingo (mailing address is APO Miami 34041-0008); telephone �809� 541-2171

Flag: a centered white cross that extends to the edges, divides the flag into four rectangles--the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of arms is at the center of the cross

NOTE: The information regarding Dominican Republic on this page is re-published from the 1989 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Dominican Republic Government 1989 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Dominican Republic Government 1989 should be addressed to the CIA.