ernment : President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16 August
1996); Vice President Jaime David FERNANDEZ Mirabal (since 16 August
1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by
popular vote for four-year term; election last held 16 May 1996;
runoff election held 30 June 1996 (next to be held 16 May 2000)
election results: President FERNANDEZ elected to his first term;
percent of vote - Leonel FERNANDEZ (PLD) 51.25%, Jose Francisco PENA
Gomez (PRD) 48.75%

Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional
consists of the Senate or Senado (30 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or
Camara de Diputados (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 30 May 1994 (next to be held NA May
1998); Chamber of Deputies - last held 16 May 1994 (next to be held NA
May 1998)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - PRSC 15, PLD 1, PRD 14; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote
by party - NA; seats by party - PLD 13, PRSC 50, PRD 57

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), judges are elected by
a Council made up of legislative and executive members with the
president presiding

Political parties and leaders:
major parties: Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Joaquin
BALAGUER Ricardo]; Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Lidio CADET];
Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Jose Franciso PENA Gomez];
Independent Revolutionary Party or PRI
minor parties: National Veterans and Civilian Party or PNVC [Juan Rene
BEAUCHAMPS Javier]; Liberal Party of the Dominican Republic or PLRD
[Andres Van Der HORST]; Democratic Quisqueyan Party or PQD [Elias
WESSIN Chavez]; National Progressive Force or FNP [Marino VINICIO
Castillo]; Popular Christian Party or PPC [Rogelio DELGADO Bogaert];
Dominican Communist Party or PCD [Narciso ISA Conde]; Dominican
Workers' Party or PTD [Ivan RODRIGUEZ]; Anti-Imperialist Patriotic
Union or UPA [Ignacio RODRIGUEZ Chiappini]; Alliance for Democracy
Party or APD [Maximilano Rabelais PUIG Miller, Nelsida MARMOLEJOS,
Vicente BENGOA]; Democratic Union or UD [Fernando ALVAREZ Bogaert]
note: in 1983 several leftist parties, including the PCD, joined to
form the Dominican Leftist Front or FID; however