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Fundamental
Information about the Dominican Republic
A
Democracy In Action
The
Dominican Republic has a representative democratic government whose power
is divided among three independent branches: the executive, the
legislative and the judicial.
The executive power is exercised by the president. As a result of changes
the country made to its constitution in 1994, presidential elections are
now held separately from legislative and municipal elections; the
president must be elected by a majority vote, which may require a second
round of elections if the first round does not provide a majority to any
one candidate; and a president may not be elected to more than one
consecutive term.
The legislature is a bicameral Congress consisting of a Senate and a
Chamber of Deputies. There are 30 senators, one for each of the country's
29 provinces and the National District (where the capital is located), and
145 deputies. All of these representatives are elected directly by the
voters for four-year terms.
The Dominican judicial system is largely based on the French judicial
system and consists of the following courts:
*
Peace Courts, which handle a broad variety of small cases;
* Courts
of First Instance, which have jurisdiction over all cases the jurisdiction
of which is not expressly granted to other courts;
*
Appeals Courts, which review judgments rendered (and facts found) by
Courts of First Instance;
*
the Supreme Court of Justice, comprised of nine judges, which is the
country's highest court and may review the legal conclusions (but not the
facts) rendered by all other courts.
In addition, there are specialized courts that handle administrative,
labor, traffic and land registration matters.
Unlike in the United States, there are no juries in the Dominican Republic;
therefore, judges render all verdicts.
Since 1994, judges are appointed by the "National Council of
Magistrates." This new institution has its roots in the French
judicial system and is intended to increase the independence of the
judicial branch from the executive and legislative branches. The National
Judicial Council guarantees the autonomy of the judicial branch.
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The Country's
Developing Legal System
The law of the Dominican Republic is based primarily on the Napoleonic
Codes, which were first introduced to the island by the French and adopted
formally in 1884 as part of the nation's legal system.
The Dominican Republic also has been influenced by other legal systems.
The Land Registration Law, for instance, is based on legislation enacted
in 1920 when United States military forces were in the country.
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Trade With America
And Other Countries
The United States is the major source of
the Dominican Republic's international trade and investment. This is primarily
because of:
* the Dominican
Republic's geographical proximity to the U.S.;
* the
preferential commercial treatment granted to the country under the Caribbean
Basin Initiative (CBI), which makes the United States a potent market for
Dominican products; and,
* the large
number of Dominican immigrants living in the United States, who are a source of
freely convertible currency.
The Dominican Republic also maintains important trading relations with all the
countries in Latin America. Of particular significance to the Dominican economy
are Mexico and Venezuela, which under the San José agreement, supply oil to the
Dominican Republic at preferential rates.
Furthermore, the country has very good trading relations within the Caribbean
Basin. The Santo Domingo Chamber of Commerce has organized the "Congress of
Entrepreneurs in the Caribbean" to encourage the development of commercial
relations within the Caribbean and to establish common strategies and agreements
with the countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
The Dominican Republic has renewed its consular relations with Cuba and signed
an immigration agreement with the Cuban government. The two islands also
maintain an excellent cultural exchange.
The Dominican Republic expects its relationships and trade with Europe to
continue to expand significantly. France, Spain, Germany, Italy and Britain have
embassies in Santo Domingo, and eight European Chambers of Commerce work to
encourage the development of trade and cooperation with the Dominican Republic.
Among Asian countries, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea have embassies in the
Dominican Republic, which reflects their desire to promote economic and trading
relations with the Dominican Republic. Other nations, such as Israel, also
maintain very active embassies in the country, and Russia has now opened a
consulate and created a Chamber of Commerce.
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