Dominican Republic general election, 1978
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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 75.8%.[3]
When counting showed an unmistakable trend toward Guzmán, the Army attempted a coup and interrupted the vote count, only 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.[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.
Results
President
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio Guzmán Fernández | Dominican Revolutionary Party | 866,912 | 52.4 |
| Joaquín Balaguer | Reformist Party | 711,878 | 43.0 |
| Francisco Lora | Movement of Democratic Integration | 27,095 | 1.6 |
| Juan Bosch | Dominican Liberation Party | 18,375 | 1.1 |
| Narciso Isa Conde | Dominican Communist Party | 9,828 | 0.6 |
| Alfonso Lockward | Social Christian Revolutionary Party | 7,981 | 0.5 |
| Luis Julián Pérez | National Salvation Movement | 7,782 | 0.5 |
| Luis Homero Lajara Burgos | Popular Democratic Party | 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 | 838,973 | 50.1 | 48 | New | 16 | New |
| Reformist Party | 692,146 | 42.1 | 43 | -32 | 11 | -12 |
| Dominican Liberation Party | 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 | 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 | 5,667 | 0.3 | 0 | -3 | 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 | -1 | 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 | ||||||
References
- ↑ Nohlen, D (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p247 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6
- 1 2 3 Nohlen, 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.
