By decree, the Executive Power declared yesterday, this coming Monday, January 2, 2023, a non-working day, effective for compliance in the public and private sectors.

The measure has as its motivation that citizens properly enjoy the festivities and traditions of the end of the year in the enthusiastic manner that usually takes effect in the Dominican Republic.

“It is the duty of the State to contribute to the proper enjoyment of the cultural festivities and traditions of the Dominican people, such as the New Year’s holiday,” reads the decree of President Luis Abinader Corona.

According to the third consideration of the piece, in addition to being a working day, it would have generated congestion on the country’s main roads.

And it justifies more because “the traditional festivities of the first day of January coincide in 2023 with Sunday, so that if Monday, January 2 is left available for the incorporation to work, it would prevent the full family enjoyment of the deserved New Year’s holiday and would generate congestion in the main roads of the country, which could represent risks for people and property.”

In this sense, the President instructed the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Public Administration to determine how to apply the suspension of work in full exercise of the powers conferred by Article 128 of the Constitution of the Republic.

This provision must be sent to the affiliated institutions for their knowledge and execution.

First recital

The decision was taken by Article 8 of the Constitution of the Republic, which states that “the effective protection of the rights of the individual is an essential function of the State.”

The first recital specifies that “it is the duty of the Executive Power to execute measures tending to the adequate enjoyment of fundamental rights, especially when situations that imply a risk for the integrity of persons may be foreseen.”