the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second
consecutive term); election last held 16 May 2008 (next to be held
in May 2012)
election results: Leonel FERNANDEZ reelected president; percent of
vote - Leonel FERNANDEZ 53.6%, Miguel VARGAS 41%, Amable ARISTY less
than 5%

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the
Senate or Senado (32 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de
Diputados (178 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 16 May 2006 (next to be held in May
2010); House of Representatives - last held 16 May 2006 (next to be
held in May 2010)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - PLD 22, PRD 6, PRSC 4; House of Representatives - percent of
vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLD 96, PRD 60, PRSC 22

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the National
Judicial Council comprised of the president, the leaders of both
chambers of congress, the president of the Supreme Court, and an
additional non-governing party congressional representative)

Political parties and leaders:

Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna];
Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Ramon ALBURQUERQUE]; National
Progressive Front [Vincent CASTILLO, Pelegrin CASTILLO]; Social
Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Enrique ANTUN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Citizen Participation Group (Participacion Ciudadania); Collective
of Popular Organizations or COP; Foundation for Institution-Building
and Justice (FINJUS)

International organization participation:

ACP, BCIE, Caricom (observer), FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC,
LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory),
PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Flavio Dario ESPINAL Jacobo
chancery: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-6280
FAX: [1] (202) 265-8057
consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Boston, Chicag