1930 Dominican Republic general election

General elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 1930.[1] They were held three months after President Horacio Vásquez was deposed in a coup led by Rafael Estrella Ureña. In a deal with Estrella, Dominican Army commander Rafael Trujillo kept his men in barracks under the pretense of "neutrality," clearing the way for Estrella to take over as provisional president. In return, Trujillo was allowed to run for president in the May elections. During the campaign, other candidates, as well as election officials, were subjected to severe harassment by Trujillo's soldiers.[2] The other candidates withdrew when it became clear that Trujillo would be the only candidate allowed to campaign unhindered, leaving him to win the presidency unopposed. The Confederation of Parties (also called the Patriotic Coalition of Citizens), a pro-Trujillo grouping, won every seat in the Congressional elections.

1930 Dominican Republic general election

← 1924 16 May 1930 1934 →
Presidential election
 
Nominee Rafael Trujillo
Party Confederation of Parties
Popular vote 223,926
Percentage 99.17%

President before election

Rafael Estrella Ureña (Acting)
Republican

Elected President

Rafael Trujillo
CdP

Trujillo went on to rule the country for the next three decades, either as president or the power behind puppet presidents.[2] According to official figures, the Dominican Party, which succeeded the Confederation of Parties in 1931, claimed to win elections with unanimous or near-unanimous support in all elections held during this time. It only dropped below 99 percent of the vote once in elections between 1934 and 1957.[3]

Results

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PartyCandidateVotes%Seats
HouseSenate
Confederation of PartiesRafael Trujillo223,92699.173112
Other partiesAgainst1,8700.8300
Total225,796100.003112
Registered voters/turnout412,931
Source: Nohlen

References

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  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p247 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6
  2. ^ a b Richard A. Haggerty (1989). "The Era of Trujillo". Library of Congress.
  3. ^ Nohlen, pp252–253