The National Congress of the Dominican Republic is analyzing two legislative proposals to create the new provinces of Santa Lucía and Matías Ramón Mella.
Both bills will be examined by congressional committees starting August 16, 2026, when the new legislative session begins in the Caribbean nation.
Neither initiative represents the immediate creation of new provinces, as both proposals must still be approved by both houses of Congress and promulgated by the executive branch.
The National Congress is the bicameral legislature of the Dominican Republic, located in the capital of Santo Domingo. Under the country's constitution, legislative proposals must pass through committee review and earn majority approval in both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies before reaching the president.
The first initiative, introduced by San Juan Senator Félix Bautista, proposes elevating the municipality of Las Matas de Farfán to the status of a province under the name Santa Lucía.
Under Senator Bautista's proposal, Las Matas de Farfán would serve as the provincial capital, or municipio cabecera. Unlike the proposal concerning Santo Domingo, this bill specifies that authorities for the prospective province would be chosen during the 2028 general elections.
The proposal establishes that the new province of Santa Lucía would be formed by three main municipalities alongside their respective municipal districts: Las Matas de Farfán, El Cercado, and Vallejuelo.
In detail, Las Matas de Farfán would include the municipal districts of Matayaya and Carrera de Yeguas. El Cercado would incorporate Batista and Derrumbadero, while Vallejuelo would contain Jorgillo and Capulín.
The bill also outlines the geographic borders of Santa Lucía, placing the province of Elías Piña to its north and west, Bahoruco to its south, and the municipal district of Pedro Corto to its east.
Senator Bautista argued that Las Matas de Farfán satisfies all necessary conditions for provincehood due to its land area, agricultural production, livestock farming, commercial activity, and tourism potential. The senator specifically highlighted local attractions such as the Catanamatías Caves and traditional patron saint festivals.
Citing data from the 10th National Population and Housing Census conducted in 2022, the proposal noted that the municipality contains 48,179 residents. Senator Bautista maintained that these residents are demanding greater political and administrative representation.
Las Matas de Farfán is located in the western San Juan province of the Dominican Republic, an agricultural region known for its valley terrain and proximity to the border with Haiti.
Proposal for Matías Ramón Mella province
The second legislative proposal seeks to create the province of Matías Ramón Mella by dividing and segregating a portion of the existing Santo Domingo province.
Authoring the bill is Deputy Abelardo Rutinel of the governing Modern Revolutionary Party, known as the PRM. The initiative has been signed by 51 additional lawmakers representing various political parties.
The Modern Revolutionary Party currently holds a governing majority, while the proposed province takes its name from Matías Ramón Mella, a 19th-century military leader and national hero recognized as one of the founding fathers of the Dominican Republic.
According to the project, the new province would consist of five municipalities: Santo Domingo Norte, Santo Domingo Oeste, Pedro Brand, Los Alcarrizos, and La Victoria, together with their respective municipal districts.
Santo Domingo Oeste would become the capital municipality and the seat of the provincial government. Additionally, the proposal contains a provision to elevate the municipal district of La Victoria to the category of a full municipality.
Demographic growth and administrative challenges
Sponsors of the measure explained that Santo Domingo province, which was created in 2001, has undergone major demographic and urban transformations over the past two decades.
Santo Domingo province was originally established in 2001 when it was split from the National District to separate the dense urban capital core from expanding outer municipalities.
The document states that the vast geographic scale of the current province hinders the efficient delivery of public services. Residents in areas such as Santo Domingo Oeste, Los Alcarrizos, and Pedro Brand are currently required to travel long distances to access the provincial head municipality.
Proponents also emphasized that the territory proposed for the new province already possesses adequate economic, transportation, healthcare, and judicial infrastructure to sustain its status as an independent province.
Next steps in Congress
Both provincial proposals are scheduled for formal committee evaluation beginning August 16, 2026, marking the start of the next legislative period in the National Congress.
Before any new province can be formally established, each bill must undergo detailed committee study, pass multiple readings in both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, and receive final executive approval from the President of the Republic.
