1978 Dominican Republic general election information
1978 Dominican Republic general election
← 1974
16 May 1978 (1978-05-16)
1982 →
Presidential election
Nominee
Antonio Guzmán
Joaquín Balaguer
Party
PRD
Reformist Party
Popular vote
866,912
711,878
Percentage
52.36%
42.99%
Presidential election results by province
President before election
Joaquín Balaguer
PR
Elected President
Antonio Guzmán
PRD
Politics of the Dominican Republic
Constitution
Constitutional Court
Law
Legislature
Congress of the Dominican Republic
Chamber of Deputies
President of the Chamber
Radhamés Camacho
Senate
President of the Senate
Reinaldo Pared Pérez
Executive
President of the Dominican Republic(list)
Luis Abinader (PRM)
Vice President of the Dominican Republic
Raquel Peña (PRM)
Cabinet
Judiciary
Supreme Court of the Dominican Republic
National Council of the Magistracy
Council of the Judiciary Branch
National Judicial College
Recent elections
Presidential: 2008
2012
Parliamentary: 2006
2010
General: 2020
2024
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Minister: Miguel Vargas
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General elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 1978.[1] 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.[2] 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 76%.[3]
When counting showed an unmistakable trend toward Guzmán, the Army attempted to stage a coup in favor of incumbent Joaquín Balaguer. However, when the army tried to interrupt the vote count, it was forced to back down amid protests at home and strong pressure from abroad. The final count showed Balaguer had suffered the first defeat of his career, losing by almost 10 points.[2][4][5] Although Guzmán was allowed 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.[2]
Guzmán's swearing-in on 16 August marked the first time in the country's history that a sitting government had peacefully surrendered power to an elected member of the opposition.
^Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p247 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6
^ abcNohlen, p241
^Nohlen, p248
^Dominican Republic Inter-Parliamentary Union
^Buckman, Robert T. (2007). The World Today Series: Latin America 2007. Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: Stryker-Post Publications. ISBN 978-1-887985-84-0.
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