The government of the Dominican Republic is divided up into three branches, the executive, legislature and judiciary. Executive The executive power is vested in the government headed by the President. Legislature The legislative power is vested in the National Congress. The National Congress is divided into a Senate (Upper House) and a Chamber of Deputies (Lower House). The Senate has thirty-two members, one for each province and one extra for the National District. The Chamber of Deputies has 178 members, proportional to the population of each province. Sometimes they gather together in the National Assembly. That is:

	at the inauguration of the president every four years
	each year on February 27 (the anniversary of National Independence) in the speech of the President and its financial statements and the reports of the ministries
	and sometimes for the celebration of festivals or other non-legislative issues

There are two elections: the presidential elections and the congressional and municipal elections. They are held every four years, once every two years one and two years later the other, but from 2016 on the same day, May 16, and three months later, on August 16 (anniversary of the Restoration), the elected officials be installed. The municipal authorities and the congressmen who were elected in 2010, remain in office until 2016. The president and vice president are elected in presidential elections, the senators (Senadores) and delegates (Disputados) in the congressional elections, the head of the city (El Síndico) and councilors (Regidores) are elected in municipal elections. The president appointed the head of each province (El Gobernador). Judiciary The judiciary is independent of the executive and legislature. A National Judicial Council (El Consejo Nacional de la Magistratura, abb. CNM) appointed the judges of the Supreme Court (La Suprema Corte de Justicia, abb. SCJ), the Constitutional Court (El Tribunal Constitucional, abb. TC) and the Supreme Electoral Court (El Tribunal Superior Electoral, abb. TSE). The National Judicial Council (El Consejo Nacional de la Magistratura) consists of eight members. The council is chaired by the President of the Republic. The other members are:

	The President of the Senate
	A senator from the second largest party, elected by the Senate
	The President of the Chamber of Deputies
	A delegate of the second largest party, elected by the Chamber of Deputies
	The President of the Supreme Court (La Suprema Corte de Justicia)
	A judge of the Supreme Court (La Suprema Corte de Justicia), who will serve as secretary
	The Attorney General

The Supreme Court (La Suprema Corte de Justicia) has seventeen members, appointed for five years and can be re-elected. The Court is the highest judicial body. The Constitutional Court (El Tribunal Constitucional) has thirteen members who are appointed for nine years and they are not eligible for reappointment. The Court shall review laws, international treaties and disputes between different government agencies. The Supreme Electoral Court (El Tribunal Superior Electoral) consists of five members appointed for four years. The Court checks the elections.

Click the following pictures to enlarge them!

The National Congress.		The Senate.
The Chamber of Deputies.		The National Assembly.

The National Judicial Council.		The Supreme Court. Click here for a organization chart of the judiciary.
The Constitutional Court.		The Supreme Electoral Court.

Map of the Congress and the Supreme Court.

A photo of the Congress, on the other corner the building of the Supreme Court.

Dominican Republic: Patriotism

The money

Sports and games

National holidays

National Anthem

The flag

Coat of arms

National Palace

National Congress