Both the Senate and the House
of Representatives conduct their work
through annual legislations where bills
are submitted for their sanction. The
House of Representatives, or Lower Chamber,
is the first to examine the bills and
then must submit them to the Senate for
approval. The President is charged with
enacting the laws or making observations
about them, but has no veto power since
our political system does not provide
for it.
The Judicial Body comprises the courts
of law, controlled by the Supreme Court
of Justice. The latter, following the
1997 reform of the judicial system is
now selected by a Council. The Supreme
Court acts as disciplinary tribunal to
judge complaints filed against judges
for misconduct in the performance of their
duties.
Santo Domingo is the capital city, and
the most representative provinces are
Santiago, La Romana, Puerto Plata, Higuey,
San Francisco, and San Pedro de Macoris,
for a variety of reasons including their
foundation, their population, and their
appeal as tourist zones in the case of
Higuey, La Romana and Puerto Plata.
On various occasions throughout the year,
the Dominican Republic celebrates religious
holidays and days to commemorate patriotic
events. These non-working holidays include:
January 1: New Year's Day; January 6:
The Epiphany; January 21 Our Lady of Altagracia
Day; January 26: Juan Pablo Duarte's birthday
(our Founding Father); February 27: Independence
Day; Easter (Good Friday) is a movable
holiday; May 1: Labor Day; Corpus Christi
Thursday (movable); August 16: Restoration
of Independence Day; September 24: Our
Lady of Mercy Day; November 6: Constitution
Day; December 25: Christmas Day.
