The Dominican Republic: Democracy, Still a Work in Progress

The Dominican Republic today presents a contradictory profile of positive and negative trends. At the macro level, electoral democracy has been institutionalized and economic growth is strong, but serious underlying problems make life difficult for most Dominicans. Corruption and impunity have undermined the political system, and confidence in democracy is low even by Latin American standards. Popular movements organized around women’s rights, the environment, corruption, and police violence, nourished by social media and spearheaded by the young, are hopeful signs. Activists, however, face a Dominican state still defined by excessive presidentialism, and the separation of powers and independence of the legislature and judiciary are not guaranteed. These longstanding patterns reinforce authoritarian practices and discourses. Meanwhile, the rapid decline of agriculture in recent decades has given rise to an economy based on tourism, free trade zones, mineral exports, and remittances from vibrant diaspora communities abroad. The nation’s conflictive relationship with neighboring Haiti heated up after a 2013 ruling stripped citizenship from tens of thousands of Dominicans of Haitian descent. In sum, institutional weakness, corruption, inequality, and lack of trust in political leaders and basic institutions are the major challenges for the Dominican state and Dominican society.