Dominican Republic Congress ratifies leadership for 2026-2027 period

The Dominican Republic's National Congress has inaugurated its new leadership for the 2026-2027 legislative period. Ricardo de los Santos has been ratified as President of the Senate for a fourth consecutive year. He was joined in the Senate's leadership by Julito Fulcar Encarnación as Vice President, and Aracelis Villanueva and Andrés Guillermo Lama Pérez as secretaries.

Alfredo Pacheco has been re-elected to preside over the Chamber of Deputies for the tenth time. His leadership team includes Dharuelly D’Aza as Vice President, with Julio Emil Durán Rodríguez and Leyvi Bautista serving as secretaries. Pacheco announced plans to implement a new electronic voting system to modernize the chamber.

The upcoming legislative term faces a significant agenda, including proposed reforms to the Labor Code, the Social Security Law, the Civil Code, and legislation regarding water, mental health, and cybersecurity. Leaders emphasized the importance of maintaining high productivity levels, citing recent achievements such as the approval of the new Penal Code and modifications to the Criminal Procedure Code.