Dominican Republic

Monthly Event Reports GSOD Indices

The Dominican Republic is a mid-performing democracy. Over the last five years, it has experienced significant improvements across all GSoDI attributes. Developments, such as overcoming the threat of presidential term extension, the detection and prosecution of corruption, and popular protests against executive overreach have resulted in significant progress in Impartial Administration, Checks on Government and Civil Society Participation. Public protests led to public deliberation and policymakers’ consultation with civil society in developing the country’s 2030 Digital Agenda. During the last two decades, discounting the Covid-19 pandemic, the country has shown vigorous economic growth due to the significant role of tourism, free-trade zones, and telecoms, among other sources of income. As a result, the Dominican Republic is the second fastest-growing economy in Latin America and the Caribbean in the last decade.

The Dominican Republic is located on the eastern part of the island of Hispaniola, where it borders Haiti. The majority of its population is of mixed-African descent (70 per cent), with Black (16 per cent) and white (14 per cent) minorities. While the Taino People originally inhabited the Hispaniola Island, overall the Dominican population does not self-identify as belonging to an Indigenous ethnic group. Still, demographics have been shaped by colonialism and a heritage of racial discrimination that continues to divide society today. Dominico-Haitians, who number about one million, form a distinct cultural and linguistic minority. This community disproportionately struggles with poverty and some members have been deprived of citizenship. The Dominican Republic’s relationship with Haiti is a recurring issue, especially with regard to migration.

The Dominican Republic has faced high political volatility due to the division and weakening of some of its main parties in the last decade. The country experienced a political shift after the Dominican Liberation Party suffered a defeat in 2020 after nearly two decades of political hegemony. The suspension of the 2020 municipal elections, which followed unprecedented problems with the electronic voting system, sparked widespread anti-government protests and the onset of an institutional crisis. As a response, the new government has proposed an agenda that prioritizes judicial independence and an improved public administration based on political consensus.

Corruption has been a longstanding obstacle in the Dominican Republic. The Odebrecht bribery scheme, in which Dominican government officials received millions of USD in bribes from the Brazilian-owned Odebrecht construction firm to secure public works contracts between 2001 and 2014, generated popular demand for justice and accountability. This led to the Green March movement and governance reforms to enhance public sector transparency and integrity, though some actors have criticised delays in their approval and implementation. A permanent concern for the Dominican Republic is its vulnerability to natural disasters, which has led to the implementation of a climate change adaptation plan. Violence against women is a pressing human rights issue. The rate of femicide is high, and the country remains one of the few with a total abortion ban.

Looking ahead, it will be important to monitor food insecurity and poverty. Despite economic growth, inflation has been a concern. The government has made strides in public participation, exemplified by the creation of a national dialogue space with civil society for addressing citizen concerns and reforming the constitution. It will be critical to watch how these concerns are channeled into policy in the years to come.

November 2022 | Dominican Republic ramps up border enforcement amid Haiti’s humanitarian crisis

The Dominican Republic has stepped up its border enforcement, including through deportations of Haitians, arguing the measure is needed for security purposes, considering the exacerbation of violence in the neighbouring country. The government’s actions have raised concerns regarding the use of violence against migrants, discrimination, arbitrary detentions, and other human rights violations as immigration agents implement strict controls. The United Nations refugee agency has urged countries receiving Haitian asylum seekers to halt forced returns to Haiti due to the continuing crises. It has also highlighted that forced returns of people to countries where they could face torture, persecution, or irreparable harm could constitute “refoulement”, which is prohibited under international law.