Country profile
Dominican Republic
República Dominicana
North America · Latin America and the Caribbean · Americas
DO · DOM
- Capital
- Santo Domingo
- Population
- 10,771,504
- Area
- 48,671 km²
- Democracy index
- 71
- Regime type
- Fragmented Democracy
Events
Ballots from Dominican Republic
The latest elections, referendums, and opinion polls from Dominican Republic. Community totals are not official results.
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Classification
Democracy profile
The score and regime label are assigned by Porto Voto using our in-house democracy index and classification framework, not ratings from governments or external agencies.
Democracy index
71/100
Regime type
Fragmented Democracy
The Dominican Republic continues to stand out as a relatively stable representative democracy in the Caribbean, particularly following the successful 2024 general elections that saw Luis Abinader secure a second term. As of May 2026, the administration has maintained a strong focus on anti-corruption initiatives, which has bolstered public trust in executive transparency, though the process of judicial professionalization remains ongoing and subject to political friction. While the electoral system is functional and competitive, the political landscape is characterized by a significant concentration of power within the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), leading to a weakened and fragmented opposition. Civil liberties are generally respected, but the country faces persistent challenges regarding the treatment of migrants and those of Haitian descent, often involving heavy handed enforcement by security forces that tests the consistency of the rule of law. Press freedom is broadly upheld, yet investigative journalists occasionally report intimidation when covering high level graft or border issues. Despite these strains, the country maintains a vibrant civil society and a peaceful political culture, though the reliance on a dominant executive and unresolved human rights concerns at the border prevent it from reaching the robust category.
Last evaluation:
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Country background
A concise introduction to Dominican Republic, together with notes on how power and law are organized, to put local ballots in context.
The Taino -- indigenous inhabitants of Hispaniola prior to the arrival of Europeans -- divided the island now known as the Dominican Republic and Haiti into five chiefdoms and territories. Christopher COLUMBUS explored and claimed the island on his first voyage in 1492; it became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti.
The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821, but the Haitians conquered and ruled it for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later, they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled and mostly non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930 to 1961.
Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962 but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965, the US led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in the presidential election.
BALAGUER maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years, until international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held.