The Dominican Republic has to request an exemption from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) because it has not yet approved the 2006 budget. According to El Caribe, a government source said that there was a formal requirement to ask for the exemption. During the first and second reviews of the IMF agreement, the government was forced to ask for special exemptions because of problems in the electricity sector and the lack of a few laws regarding fiscal issues. The source said that if political problems delay the approval of the 2006 budget legislation, the IMF could possibly accept the government’s continued functioning under the 2005 budget, but with pressure to be very careful of the use given to budget surpluses. Nonetheless, the source doubted that the IMF would consent to the revision of the agreement without the 2006 budget in place. In either case, the government is obliged to follow the guidelines for expenditures, debts and fiscal policy as set forth in the Stand-by agreement. Any delay in the review of the agreement implies a delay in the disbursements envisioned by the accords, and a delay in the presentation of a new Letter of Intent might well lead to uncertainty within the international financial community.