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The Dominican Republic (Spanish), with 9,8 million residents (2010), is the eastern half of the island Hispaniola. The western half is Haiti (French) (Ayiti=High Land in tainolangauge). The land area is 48,730 km², to make a comparison: the land area of the Netherlands is 33,920 km².
Columbus has discovered Hispaniola in december 1492, but 3000 years before Christ there were indians living there. And even in 986 the Vikings were in America: Bjarne Herjolfsson.
The indians called the island Quisqueya ("mother of all countries") and Bohio ("Huts from America made of wood, boughs or cane"), but Columbus
changed it in La Española ("little Spain"), later on changed in Hispaniola.
2000 years before Christ the Ciboney-indians were living on the island, mainly fishermen. At the beginning of our era the Taino ("good, noble") came, an Arawakan group of agriculturists and with a culture more developed than the Ciboney, who were chased away to the west part. The Taino devided the island in 5 provinces, "cacicazgos", governed by a chief (cacique). After the Taino-Arawaks the Carib-indians (after whom the Caribbean sea is named - Carib=strong man) were visiting the island incidently, known as agressive cannibals and robbers.
The Spaniards changed the life on the island totally. Because of slavery and deseases the Taino were reduced to just a few thousend by 1520 in the Caribbean (there were 1 or 2 million!). In 1511 the first African slaves were brought to Hispaniola. Known is the great rebellion under the guidance of the indian Enriquillo in 1522, who gained an agreement in 1533 with some rights for the indian people.
The following three centuries a cruel society existed, based on a strong separation of classes and slavery. The Portuguese too were involved intensively with the slave trade, so were the Dutch (between 1630 and 1830 they dealed in half a million slaves), the British and the French.
On the 27th of february 1844 the independence ("La Independencia") of the Dominican Republic was declared by Juan Pablo Duarte, assisted by Matías Ramón Mella and Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, the "fathers of the
fatherland". The people of Haiti, who have conquered the country twenty years
ago, were chased away.
Another important date is august the 16th 1863: General Luperón declares the restoration ("La Restauración") of the republic. The first president Pedro Santana has called in the help of
the Spanish troupes after, among other things, the continuous threads of annexation by
Haiti. So Spain got back his colony, but many people revolted, with the effect that the
last Spanish troupes were defeated in 1865.
In 1916 the United States occupied the country, because of the threat of a civil war. After
the return of quietness and because of the public opinion, they left the country
in 1924 and the third republic ("La Tercera República") was a fact.
On May 16, 1930 "generalissimo" Trujillo got the power. To gather his richness he shuned nothing: terror and exploitation. On May 30, 1961 he was killed on the highway Sánchez. After his death the Dominicans demonstrated en mass for the departure of the remaining members of his government, also of the political leader at that moment: Joaquín Balaguer.
After the release of political prisoners, the return of exiles and after the appearance
of various political parties, the elections in 1962 were won by Juan Bosch with the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD, like the social democrats, Labor, colour white). In 1963 he came with a liberal constitution.
But on September 25, 1963, seven months after his installation, his government is overthrown by a military junta. The resistance against the junta is growing however and on April 24, 1965 a civil war breaks out: "La Revolución" (the revolution). Then, on April 28 the United States occupied the country again and the Dominicans maintain there resistance against the American marines for four months though.
In 1966 the Americans leave the country and again Balaguer is elected for president with his Reformist Party, later on called the PRSC (Social Christian Reformist Party, (colour red!). He came with a new constitution based on the American constitution. Every four years there are free elections with a compulsory voting for everyone above the age of 18. The legislative branch is exercised by the National Congress, composed by a Senate (32 members, each province has one senator and one for the National District) and a Chamber of Deputies (178 members, selected by proportional representation in accordance to the inhabitants of each province).
April 16, 1978, after three terms of office by Balaguer, Guzmán of the PRD becomes president. He wants to restrict the power of the army and the police and fight the corruption. But only a few weeks before the end of his term it was obvious that some of his co-workers enriched themselves and he commit suicide. The Dominicans and the whole world were appalled.
Untill '86 Salvador Jorge Blanco of the PRD took over the presidency. He too wants to fight the corruption but after his term he himself is accused of that in a long cause.
Balaguer wins the elections of '86, '90. In '94 (88 years of age and blind) he wins the elections again, but the leader of the opposition party, Peña of the PRD, ends up so close, that the complaints about irregularities of the elections continue.
This results in an agreement: Balaguer for two years as president and early elections in '96. These elections are being won by Leonel of the PLD, the Dominican Liberation Party (color morado!).
May 16, 2000 Hipólito Mejía (with vice-president Milagros Ortiz Bosch) of the PRD (white) wins the new elections, however Balaguer with his PRSC (Social Christian Reformist Party, red) is candidate again! It is a close victory (49.87 % facing the PLD: 24.9 % and the PRSC:
24.6 %) and normally a second round would follow (an absolute majority of 50 % is
necessary), but the PLD and the PRSC admit the victory to resolve the tension in the country, the potential political problems.
July 14, 2002, Balaguer dies. The next presidential elections are scheduled for May 16, 2004. Leonel (and vice-president Rafael Alburquerque) with his PLD wins these elections with 57.11 % of the votes. Hipólito Mejía with his PRD admits his loss with 33.61 % of the votes and the candidate of the PRSC, Eduardo Estrella, recieves only 8.65 %.
May 16, 2008: Leonel wins the elections again with 53.83 % against 40.48 % for Miguel Vargas Maldonado with the PRD.
On May 20, 2012 the elections are being won by the ex-candidate of the PLD (in 2000) Danilo Medina Sánchez with vice presidential candidate, the wife of Leonel, Margarita Cedeño de Fernández with 51,21 % of the votes. Ex-president Hipólito Mejía of the PRD with vice presidential candidate Luis Abinader gets 46,95 %.
On May 15, 2016 Danilo Medina Sánchez with Vice President Margarita Cedeño de Fernández of the PLD and Luis Abinader with Vice Presidential candidate Carolina Mejía of the new party PRM (Modern Revolutionary Party, color blue!) are facing each other. The PLD wins 61,74 % compared to the 34,98 % of the PRM.
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