Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies
pledged to improve the living standards of the less privileged,
to include those who felt politically underrepresented, and to
modernize state institutions and the rule of law. As a result, the
PRD's rise to power generated expectations among the Dominican
people for socioeconomic and political reforms that were
largely not achieved.
One threat to democracy that began to recede in 1978 was
that of military incursion into politics, given that President
Guzman dismissed many of the key generals associated with
repression. The armed forces have remained under civilian
control. However, this control resulted primarily from the personal
relations top military officers had with the president and
the divided political loyalties within the officer corps. Even
when Balaguer returned to power in 1986, however, the military
did not regain the level of importance and influence it had
had during his first twelve years in office.
The Guzman administration (1978-82) was viewed as transitional
because it faced a Senate controlled by Balaguer's party
and growing intraparty rivalry in the PRD, which was led by Salvador
Jorge Blanco. Yet, the PRD was able to unify around
Jorge Blanco's presidential candidacy (Guzman had pledged
not to seek reelection) and defeat Balaguer and Bosch in the
May 1982 elections. Tragically, Guzman committed suicide in
July 1982, apparently because of depression, isolation, and concerns
that Jorge Blanco might pursue corruption charges
against family members; vice president Jacobo Majluta Azar
completed Guzman's term until the turnover of power in
August.
Initial hopes that the Jorge Blanco administration (1982-86)
would be a less personalist, more institutional, reformist presidency
were not realized. A major problem was the economic
crisis that not only limited the resources the government had
available and demanded inordinate attention, but also forced
the government to institute unpopular policies, sometimes by
executive decree. Problems had begun under Guzman: prices
sharply increased following the second Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil shock, interest
rates skyrocketed, and exports declined. In addition, sugar
prices fell in 1977-79, rebounded in 1980, and then fell sharply
again even as the United States sugar quota was being reduced
and as prices of other Dominican exports also declined.
Significant steps toward economic stabilization were taken
under the Jorge Blanco administration, although not without
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