Dominican Republic
Presidential and Legislative Elections, 19 May 2024
On 19 May 2024, the Dominican Republic held presidential and legislative elections including the election of the president, senators (32) and deputies (190) (Hasburn 2024). This election cycle also included the election of 20 Dominican representatives to the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) (France 24 2024a; France 24 2024b). The President of the Dominican Republic is elected using a two-round system; if no candidate receives 50 per cent +1 of the valid votes in the first round, a run-off is held between the two leading candidates from the first round (Acento 2024). The National Congress is bicameral, consisting of the Senate (32 seats) and the Chamber of Deputies (190 seats) (IIDH 2024; JCE 2024). All elected offices, including the president, Senators, Deputies of the National Congress, and of municipal authorities, serve four-year terms (UN ECLAC n.d.).
Opposition parties and NGOs reported irregularities during the election day (France 24 2024a), including pre-marked ballots, purchase of national identity cards, and attempts by political agents to campaign near polling stations – which goes against the political party code of conduct. According to Participación Ciudadana, the Dominican chapter of Transparency International, this occurred in 33 per cent of electoral precincts, while vote buying was detected in 16.5 per cent of voting centres. (France 24 2024a). While E-voting (automatic voting machines) was anticipated for this election (Diario Libre 2024), this did not go ahead.
The only accredited source of electoral information, the JCE has partnered with the country's UNESCO chapter to deliver workshops for journalists on disinformation (JCE 2024b), having emphasized the importance of media actors in tackling this challenge (JCE 2023). Additionally, the JCE has allied with the Inter-American Observatory on Disinformation to provide fact-checking services (JCE 2024c). The Disinformation Observatory analyzed 341 cases of disinformation during the election period over a three-month period. Their main finding was that disinformation played a "secondary role in the elections and, despite not having sufficient measures, there are no incidents that have influenced the legitimacy of the results"(UCM 2024).
A total of nine candidates contested the presidency, two of whom were women (IFES 2024). While the presidential race saw limited female representation, there was a notable increase in women's participation in legislative positions. The Chamber of Deputies saw the number of women rise from 53 (27.9%) to 70 (36.8%), though the Senate remained unchanged with 4 women (12.5%) (IPU 2024). During the election female candidates for elective office not only faced significant barriers limiting equal access to positions of power and were subjected to widespread digital violence. A study by the Central Electoral Board (JCE) analyzed nearly 26,000 social media messages, revealing extensive online harassment and discriminatory attacks against women candidates (El Caribe 2024).
The incumbent candidate, Luis Abinader, won the presidential election with 57.4 per cent of the vote, obviating the need for a second round in June 2024. Former president Leonel Fernandez, who previously held the presidency three times, came in second with just over 28 per cent (Statista 2024).
Voter turnout for the presidential elections was 54.37 per cent (IFES n.d.). For the legislative elections, the turnout was 58.65 per cent (for deputies) and 58.34 per cent for senators (JCE 20224a). In the 2020 election, these turnout figures were 54.78, 53.16 and 58.12 per cent, respectively.
Bibliography
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BBC News Mundo, ‘Abinader logra un contundente triunfo en las elecciones de República Dominicana y será presidente 4 años más’ [Luis Abinader wins Dominican Republic presidential election], 20 May 2024, https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/c899gzw3pero, accessed 18 February 2025
El Caribe. 'Serpientes" y "feminazis": Las candidatas sufrieron un fuerte acoso'. 7 May 2024, https://www.elcaribe.com.do/panorama/pais/serpientes-y-feminazis-las-candidatas-sufrieron-un-fuerte-acoso/ Accessed 18 February 2025
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Allegations of fraud
Instances of mis- and disinformation narratives
Instances of gender-based violence
