The Partido Revolucionario Dominicano (PRD) has exercised control of Congress for six constitutional terms since the end of the Trujillo dictatorship in 1961, surpassing other parties in majorities in the Senate and Chamber of Deputies. This dominance began in 1962 with 22 senators and 49 deputies, and extended into elections such as those of 1978, 1982, 1994, 1998, and 2002, where it reached peaks of 29 senators and 73 deputies.
Decline of the PRD and rise of other blocs
After decades of shared leadership with the Partido Reformista Social Cristiano (PRSC), which achieved five periods of control of Congress between 1966 and 1990, the PRD went into decline starting in 2010. Both parties, key players from the 1960s to the 2000s, now depend on alliances to survive, according to analyses by Dominican political experts.
PRM consolidates new legislative hegemony
The Partido Revolucionario Moderno (PRM), founded in 2014 following a split from the PRD, has taken control of Congress for two consecutive terms. In 2020 it won 19 senators and 97 deputies, displacing the PLD, and in 2024 it reached 29 senators and 147 deputies in the Lower House, the highest figure historically recorded.
Stages of the PRSC in legislative power
- 1966: 22 senators and 48 deputies under Balaguer.
- 1970 and 1974: Absolute majorities with opposition absence or weakness.
- 1986-1994: Final controls with 21 and 16 senators respectively.
Brief PLD dominance
The Partido de la Liberación Dominicana (PLD) controlled Congress on three occasions: 2006-2010 (22 senators, 96 deputies), 2010 (28 senators, 93 deputies), and 2016-2020 (28 senators, 127 deputies). Today, with only 13 deputies, it has lost ground to the PRM and Fuerza del Pueblo, the second force with 29 deputies.
This shift reflects post-2010 party fragmentation, with the PRM capitalizing on electoral discontent. Analysts highlight that the control of Congress by the PRM strengthens the ruling party’s agenda, although it generates debates about the concentration of power in a young party. Historically, the PRD holds the record in control of Congress, but the PRM imposes its new hegemony with unprecedented numbers.