Dominican Republic general election, 1978
Encyclopedia
General elections were held in the Dominican Republic
on 16 May 1978. Following diplomatic pressure from American
President Jimmy Carter
, the elections were free and competitive and contested by all political parties, unlike the previous elections in the 1970s. Antonio Guzmán Fernández
won the presidential election, whilst his Dominican Revolutionary Party
(which had not contested the 1970
and 1974 elections
) won the Congressional elections. Voter turnout was 75.8%.
However, following the election the Army attempted a coup and interrupted the vote count. Whilst American pressure allowed Guzmán to assume the presidency, the Central Elections Authority redistributed the uncast votes equally between the PRD and the Reformist Party
, diminishing the PRD's majority in Congress.
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
on 16 May 1978. Following diplomatic pressure from American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, the elections were free and competitive and contested by all political parties, unlike the previous elections in the 1970s. Antonio Guzmán Fernández
Antonio Guzmán Fernández
Silvestre Antonio Guzmán Fernández was a Dominican businessman and a politician. He was the 46th President of the Dominican Republic, from 1978 to 1982.- Early life :Antonio Guzmán was born in the town of La Vega...
won the presidential election, whilst his Dominican Revolutionary Party
Dominican Revolutionary Party
The Dominican Revolutionary Party is one of the main political parties of the Dominican Republic. It has a moderate centrist position, social democratic in name. The party's distinctive color is white....
(which had not contested the 1970
Dominican Republic general election, 1970
General elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 1970. The main opposition party, the Dominican Revolutionary Party, did not contest the election, leaving only the ruling Reformist Party and some right-wing and centre-right parties. Incumbent Joaquín Balaguer won the presidential...
and 1974 elections
Dominican Republic general election, 1974
General elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 1974. The main opposition party, the Dominican Revolutionary Party, did not contest the election, leaving only the ruling Reformist Party and some right-wing and centre-right parties...
) won the Congressional elections. Voter turnout was 75.8%.
However, following the election the Army attempted a coup and interrupted the vote count. Whilst American pressure allowed Guzmán to assume the presidency, the Central Elections Authority redistributed the uncast votes equally between the PRD and the Reformist Party
Social Christian Reformist Party
The Social Christian Reformist Party is a conservative, christian democratic, economic liberal and a populist party in the Dominican Republic formed by the union of the Partido Reformista and the Partido Revolucionario Social Cristiano...
, diminishing the PRD's majority in Congress.
President
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio Guzmán Fernández Antonio Guzmán Fernández Silvestre Antonio Guzmán Fernández was a Dominican businessman and a politician. He was the 46th President of the Dominican Republic, from 1978 to 1982.- Early life :Antonio Guzmán was born in the town of La Vega... |
Dominican Revolutionary Party Dominican Revolutionary Party The Dominican Revolutionary Party is one of the main political parties of the Dominican Republic. It has a moderate centrist position, social democratic in name. The party's distinctive color is white.... |
866,912 | 52.4 |
| Joaquín Balaguer Joaquín Balaguer Joaquín Antonio Balaguer Ricardo was the President of the Dominican Republic from 1960 to 1962, from 1966 to 1978, and again from 1986 to 1996.-Early life and introduction to politics:... |
Reformist Party Social Christian Reformist Party The Social Christian Reformist Party is a conservative, christian democratic, economic liberal and a populist party in the Dominican Republic formed by the union of the Partido Reformista and the Partido Revolucionario Social Cristiano... |
711,878 | 43.0 |
| Francisco Lora | Movement of Democratic Integration | 27,095 | 1.6 |
| Juan Bosch Juan Bosch Juan Emilio Bosch Gaviño was a politician, historian, short story writer, essayist, educator, and the first cleanly elected president of the Dominican Republic for a brief time in 1963. Previously, he had been the leader of the Dominican opposition in exile to the dictatorial regime of Rafael... |
Dominican Liberation Party Dominican Liberation Party The Dominican Liberation Party is one of the main political parties of the Dominican Republic, and has a centrist position.The party has been elected into office thrice now with Leonel Fernández as President of the Dominican Republic in the 1996, 2004 and 2008 elections, though losing in 2000... |
18,375 | 1.1 |
| Narciso Isa Conde | Dominican Communist Party Dominican Communist Party The Dominican Communist Party was a political party in the Dominican Republic. The party was founded in 1944 under the name Dominican Revolutionary Democratic Party. The party worked under the name Dominican Popular Socialist Party 1946-1965. In August 1965 the name was again changed, to Dominican... |
9,828 | 0.6 |
| Alfonso Lockward | Social Christian Revolutionary Party Social Christian Reformist Party The Social Christian Reformist Party is a conservative, christian democratic, economic liberal and a populist party in the Dominican Republic formed by the union of the Partido Reformista and the Partido Revolucionario Social Cristiano... |
7,981 | 0.5 |
| Luis Julián Pérez | National Salvation Movement | 7,782 | 0.5 |
| Luis Homero Lajara Burgos | Popular Democratic Party Popular Democratic Party (Dominican Republic) The Popular Democratic Party is a minor political party in the Dominican Republic. It first contested national elections in 1974, when it provided the main opposition to the ruling Reformist Party due to the Dominican Revolutionary Party not contesting the elections... |
5,956 | 0.4 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 85,530 | ||
| Total | 1,741,337 | 100 | |
| Source: Nohlen | |||
Congress
| Party | Votes | % | House | Senate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | +/- | Seats | +/- | |||
| Dominican Revolutionary Party Dominican Revolutionary Party The Dominican Revolutionary Party is one of the main political parties of the Dominican Republic. It has a moderate centrist position, social democratic in name. The party's distinctive color is white.... |
838,973 | 50.1 | 48 | New | 16 | New |
| Reformist Party Social Christian Reformist Party The Social Christian Reformist Party is a conservative, christian democratic, economic liberal and a populist party in the Dominican Republic formed by the union of the Partido Reformista and the Partido Revolucionario Social Cristiano... |
692,146 | 42.1 | 43 | |||
| 11 | ||||||
| Dominican Liberation Party Dominican Liberation Party The Dominican Liberation Party is one of the main political parties of the Dominican Republic, and has a centrist position.The party has been elected into office thrice now with Leonel Fernández as President of the Dominican Republic in the 1996, 2004 and 2008 elections, though losing in 2000... |
18,565 | 1.1 | 0 | New | 0 | New |
| Movement of Democratic Integration | 13,317 | 0.8 | 0 | New | 0 | New |
| National Civic Union | 13,316 | 0.8 | 0 | New | 0 | New |
| Social Democratic Alliance | 11,056 | 0.7 | 0 | New | 0 | New |
| Dominican Communist Party Dominican Communist Party The Dominican Communist Party was a political party in the Dominican Republic. The party was founded in 1944 under the name Dominican Revolutionary Democratic Party. The party worked under the name Dominican Popular Socialist Party 1946-1965. In August 1965 the name was again changed, to Dominican... |
10,751 | 0.7 | 0 | New | 0 | New |
| Movement of National Reconciliation | 7,743 | 0.5 | 0 | New | 0 | New |
| National Salvation Movement | 7,727 | 0.5 | 0 | New | 0 | New |
| Democratic Quisqueyano Party | 5,984 | 0.4 | 0 | New | 0 | New |
| Popular Democratic Party Popular Democratic Party (Dominican Republic) The Popular Democratic Party is a minor political party in the Dominican Republic. It first contested national elections in 1974, when it provided the main opposition to the ruling Reformist Party due to the Dominican Revolutionary Party not contesting the elections... |
5,667 | 0.3 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||||
| Movimento Popular Justicialista | 9,226 | 0.6 | 0 | New | 0 | New |
| Movimento Revolucionario del Pueblo | 0 | New | 0 | New | ||
| Movimento Municipal del Pueblo | 0 | |||||
| 0 | 0 | |||||
| Movimento Restaurador Santuagúes | 0 | New | 0 | New | ||
| Movimento Unión Provincial Independiente | 0 | New | 0 | New | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 85,530 | |||||
| Total | 1,731,095 | 100 | 91 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| Source: Nohlen | ||||||