Background A legacy of unsettled, mostly nonrepresentative, rule for much of the 20th century was brought to an end in 1996 when free and open elections ushered in a new government.

NOTE: The information regarding Dominican Republic on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Dominican Republic Introduction 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Dominican Republic Introduction 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.