The Senate has approved the splitting of the National District into the National District and the Province of Santo Domingo which will have four municipalities: Santo Domingo East, Santo Domingo West, Santo Domingo North and Boca Chica. The National District will now be limited to the core of the city of Santo Domingo which will be much reduced. The new National District boundaries will be Km. 12 of Haina, the Caribbean Sea, the Isabela and Ozama Rivers and Avenida Luperon. The limits of the Province of Santo Domingo will be the province of Monte Plata to the North, the province of San Pedro de Macoris to the East and to the West San Cristobal. Each municipality needs to elect a mayor, deputy mayor and one alderman per 25,000 inhabitants, for a minimum of five aldermen. This means 54 new aldermen will have jobs as well as 26 more deputies to get seats in Congress. At present, the National District has 44 deputies. The bill was approved with a vote by the PRD, Acuerdo de Santo Domingo and PRSC senators. PLD senators abandoned the session not in agreement with splitting the National District. Supporters of the bill argued that it will improve management of the National District area. Opponents say that it will only make managing the city more expensive as more bureaucracy is being created. The new territorial divisions will come into effect 16 May 2002 if the bill is signed by President Mejia.
