Legal System of The Dominican

The Dominican is located in Central America N Caribbean. It is geographically situated in caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of hispaniola, between the caribbean sea and the north atlantic ocean, east of haiti. The country achieved independence on 27 february 1844 (from haiti). The capital is Santo Domingo.

Government Overview

Government Type: presidential republic Chief of State: President Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona (since 16 August 2020) Head of Government: President Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona (since 16 August 2020) Cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president Administrative Divisions: 31 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabón, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, Elías Piña, El Seibo, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Hermanas Mirabal, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, María Trinidad Sánchez, Monseñor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Samaná, Sánchez Ramírez, San Cristóbal, San José de Ocoa, San Juan, San Pedro de Macorís, Santiago, Santiago Rodríguez, Santo Domingo, Valverde National Holiday: Independence Day, 27 February (1844) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory; married persons can vote, regardless of age

Legal System

The legal system of The Dominican is described as civil law system based on the French civil code; Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system International Law: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: many previous (38 total); latest proclaimed 13 June 2015 Amendment Process: proposed by a special session of the National Congress called the National Revisory Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority approval by at least one half of those present in both houses of the Assembly; passage of amendments to constitutional articles, such as fundamental rights and guarantees, territorial composition, nationality, or the procedures for constitutional reform, also requires approval in a referendum

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia (consists of a minimum of 16 magistrates); Constitutional Court or Tribunal Constitucional (consists of 13 judges) Judge Selection: Supreme Court and Constitutional Court judges appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary composed of the president, the leaders of both chambers of congress, the president of the Supreme Court, and a non-governing party congressional representative; Supreme Court judges appointed for 7-year terms; Constitutional Court judges appointed for 9-year terms Subordinate Courts: courts of appeal; courts of first instance; justices of the peace; special courts for juvenile, labor, and land cases; Contentious Administrative Court for cases filed against the government

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of bicameral Lower Chamber: Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) (190 (all directly elected) seats) Electoral System (Lower Chamber): proportional representation Upper Chamber: Senate (Senado)

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of the Dominican Republic Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory; married persons can vote, regardless of age

Historical Background

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.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of The Dominican based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.