The Partido Revolucionario Dominicano achieved an overwhelming victory in the 16 May congressional and municipal elections. In the elections, Dominicans voted to choose 30 senators, 149 deputies, 115 mayors and 756 city councilmen. The PRD in the first bulletins issued by the Junta Central Electoral lead in the vote count for senator seats in all but five provinces. The incumbent Partido de la Liberación Dominicana could only count as theirs the provinces of Elías Piña, Salcedo and La Romana. The Partido Reformista Social Cristiano reduced its participation in the Senate to two provinces, San Pedro de Macorís and La Altagracia. At noontime, it seemed unlikely the Partido de la Liberación Dominicana would even achieve the sufficient deputy seats – 49 seats or 33% of the 149 deputy seats – to have veto power in the Chamber of Deputies. In the 1994-1998 Congress, the PLD has one senator, the PRSC 14 senators and the PRD 18 senators. In the Chamber of Deputies, the PLD has 13 deputies, the PRSC has 50 and the PRD 57. The Partido Revolucionario Dominicano attributed their strong vote toll to the strength of the party. Party followers say that a grand majority of PRD voters turned out to vote as a tribute to party leader Dr. José Francisco Peña Gómez who died barely a week before the elections.
