<< The Post-Trujillo Era || Government >>
In May of 2000, Hipólito Mejía, the left-leaning Revolutionary Democratic Party candidate, was elected president, defeating two other candidates (including the aging Balaguer). And in May of 2004, after the country suffered a severe economic slide, Mejía was in turn soundly defeated by ex-president Fernández.
In the game of presidential musical chairs, the DR keeps soldiering on, ever more democratic but still fighting ingrained corruption and cronyism. Still, the country’s elections are now reasonably free and democratic, political violence has been kept to a minimum, and the country’s long history of repression is fading into the past. Serious economic and social inequities remain, but the Dominican Republic may finally be on the path to a more stable and prosperous future.
<< The Post-Trujillo Era || Government >>
