Constitution of the Dominican Republic
Constitution of the Dominican Republic | |
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Author(s) | Congress of the Dominican Republic |
Dominican Republic portal |
The Dominican Republic has gone through 39 constitutions, more than any other country, since its independence in 1844.[1][2] This statistic is a somewhat deceiving indicator of political stability, however, because of the Dominican practice of promulgating a new constitution whenever an amendment is ratified. Although technically different from each other in some particular provisions, most new constitutions contained only minor modifications of those previously in effect. Sweeping constitutional innovations were relatively rare.[3]
A large number of constitutions do, however, reflect a fundamental lack of consensus on the rules that should govern the national political life. Most Dominican governments felt compelled upon taking office to write new constitutions that changed the rules to fit their own wishes. Not only did successive governments often strenuously disagree with their predecessors' policies and programs, but they often wholly rejected the institutional framework within which their predecessors had operated. Constitutionalism—loyalty to a stable set of governing principles and laws rather than to the person who promulgates them—became a matter of overriding importance in the Dominican Republic only after the death of Rafael Trujillo.[3]
Dominicans historically had agreed that government should be
The current Constitution was promulgated on June 13, 2015.[4]
Constitutions through Trujillo
The first Dominican constitution was promulgated on November 6, 1844, immediately after the nation achieved independence from Haiti. It was a liberal document with many familiar elements—separation of powers, checks and balances, and a long list of basic rights. However, an authoritarian government replaced the country's liberal, democratic government during its first year. The new regime proceeded to write its own constitution. This second constitution considerably strengthened the executive, weakened the legislative and judicial branches, and gave the president widespread emergency powers, including the power to suspend basic rights and to rule by decree. After that, the country's governance often alternated between liberal and authoritarian constitutional systems.[3]
Even the dictator Rafael Trujillo always operated under the banner of constitutionalism. Under Trujillo, however, the legislature was simply a rubber stamp; the courts were not independent, and basic rights ceased to exist. He governed as a tyrant, unfettered by constitutional restrictions.[3]
Constitutions after Trujillo
After Trujillo died in 1961, the constitution was amended to provide for new elections and to allow the transfer of power to an interim
In 1964,
Largely due to the United States military intervention of April 1965, the civil war had died down by 1966. With Joaquín Balaguer and his party in control, the Dominicans wrote still another constitution. This one was intended to avert the conflicts and polarization of the past by combining features from both the liberal and the conservative traditions. The 1966 Constitution incorporated a long list of basic rights and provided a strengthened legislature; however, it also gave extensive powers to the executive, including emergency powers. In this way, the country sought to bridge the gap between its democratic and authoritarian constitutions by compromising their differences.[3]
Later constitutions were enacted in 1994 and 2002.[5]
Constitution of 2010
Constitution Day
Until 2011, a public holiday was held to commemorate Constitution Day (Spanish: Día de la Constitución) on November 6. Since then, it has been held on the closest Monday to that date to ensure a three-day weekend. In 2020, it fell on November 9. In 2021, it fell on November 8. In 2022, it fell on November 7. It will occur on these days in coming years:[9][needs update]
- 2023: November 6
- 2024: November 4
- 2025: November 3
- 2026: November 9
See also
References
- ^ Cordeiro, Jose Luis (September 29, 2008). "Constitutions around the world : A View from Latin America". Ide Discussion Papers. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
- ^ "Dominican Republic: Government >> globalEDGE: Your source for Global Business Knowledge". globaledge.msu.edu. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
- ^ LCCN 2001023524.
- ^ Republic, Dominican (December 21, 2013). Constitution of the Dominican Republic. Gaceta Judicial.
- ^ "Dominican Republic: Constitutions". Pdba.georgetown.edu. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
- ^ "ZENIT – Dominican Republic Rejects Changes to Marriage Law". Archived from the original on June 27, 2009. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
- ^ "Dominican Republic 2010" (PDF). constituteproject.org. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ "ZENIT – Dominican Republic Rejects Changes to Marriage Law". Archived from the original on June 27, 2009. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
- ^ "Constitution Day". Public Holidays. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
Further reading
- 2015 Constitution in English
- 2015 Constitution in Spanish (in Spanish)
External links
- 2015 Constitution (in English)
- 1994 Constitution (in Spanish)
- 2002 Constitution (in Spanish)
- Dominican Republic: Government (in Spanish)