Haiti
Haiti performs in the low range across all categories of the Global State of Democracy framework and is among the bottom 25 per cent of countries with regard to the large majority of factors. Over the last five years, due partly to the indefinite postponement of elections, Haiti has experienced serious declines in almost all measures of Representation as well as Access to Justice, Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Press. The poorest country in the Americas, Haiti’s poverty rate is estimated at nearly 60 per cent. Remittances, trade, and tourism have been among the largest contributors to its GDP; the current crisis has brought its public debt to 30 per cent of the GDP.
Haiti, the world’s first independent black republic and the first to be formed through a slave revolt, is challenged by a system of exclusion that favors the mulatto oligarchy of mixed European-African descent who control 95 per cent of the country’s wealth and occupy the highest positions of the state, to the detriment of the majority of the population (around 95 per cent) of mostly African descent. Haiti’s political and economic struggles are intricately linked to its history of Spanish and French colonization, which gave rise to a brutal slave trade. The 150-million-franc indemnity imposed by France for recognition of Haiti’s independence impeded Haiti’s development, disrupted state-building and pushed the country into multiple cycles of debts. American influence and intervention, marked by an occupation (1915-1934) and the support for the Duvalier dictatorship (1957-1986) further stifled the country’s development. The dictatorship also ingrained a political culture of populism and gangs, overwhelming concerted efforts for democratic governance.
The 1987 Constitution symbolized the Haitian’s people’s outright rejection of the Duvalier dictatorship, and promoted democratic values. The following decades, however, were marred by coups, violence, and foreign military interventions. Both terms of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haiti’s first democratically elected president, supported by the poorest but opposed by elites, were put to an end, first by a military coup (1991) and later by elite-supported former soldiers (2004). The country achieved some stability during the uninterrupted presidencies of René Préval (2006-2011) and Michel Martelly (2011-16), and despite the devastating 2010 earthquake, made humanitarian recovery and progress towards democracy by completing a long postponed electoral cycle in 2017. However, despite efforts to address governance and efficiency challenges through a constitutional reform process initiated in 2021, President Jovenel Moise’s assassination and another severe earthquake have created a power vacuum.
Haiti currently has no democratically elected officials. The work of the High Council for Transition, tasked with developing an electoral roadmap has stalled, while responses to UN resolutions proposing a multinational force (2022) and authorizing a support mission (2023) have halted. In the midst of intensifying gang violence, 4.35 million people face acute hunger and 300,000 people are displaced; nearly 5,000 people were killed between 2023 and 2024 (110% increase compared to the previous year). Kidnapping and sexual violence remain widespread, with seriously impacts on women. Protests – including those mobilized by gang leaders – call for the resignation of Acting Prime Minister Henry Ariel.
Looking ahead, the restoration of the Rule of Law and containment of violence through international support is urgently needed. Equally pressing is the consensus and implementation of a political roadmap to enable a return to constitutional order and the holding of elections.
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
May 2024
Garry Conille appointed as Haiti´s new Prime Minister
The Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) of Haiti has appointed Garry Conille as the new Prime Minister, following the selection of Fritz Belizaire in late April. That process was tainted by allegations of procedural irregularities. The decision regarding Conille comes amid escalating gang violence in Port-au-Prince. Conille, a UN development specialist, had been UNICEF's regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean since January 2023 and had served as Haiti's prime minister from 2011 to 2012. The date for the installation of Conille's government is yet to be announced, with Boisvert managing affairs in the meantime. Conille was selected from a pool of over 200 applicants, and his appointment has received international support, including from the OAS and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Conille faces great challenges amidst the severe humanitarian crises that the country is undergoing. He has pledged to restore security, drive economic recovery, and organize elections in 2025.
Sources: Africa News, Haitian Times1, Haitian Times2, CBS News
April 2024
Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigns as the Transitional Presidential Council is formed
On 12 April, the formation of the Transitional Presidential Council, in charge of assigning a new Haitian government, was finalized. The Council, whose mandate runs out in February 2026, will seek to bring stability to the nation and reform justice through the establishment of autonomous state bodies, such as a Provisional Electoral Council. This prompted Ariel Henry, who has served as Prime Minister since July 2021, to resign on 24 April. On 30 April, the Transitional Council, which consists of nine Haitian politicians and civil society actors', out of which seven have voting rights, announced Fritz Bélizaire as the new Prime Minister. Bélizaire, who served as the Sports Minister in 2006-2011, was chosen by four of the Council members. Council members who oppose Bélizaire have threatened to challenge the decision or resign from the Council. At the same time, Haiti’s powerful gangs have continued to threaten more violence if their demand to have a seat at the negotiation table is not met.
Sources: The British Broadcasting Corporation, Caribbean Life, National Public Radio, Le Nouvelliste
March 2024
Security crisis prompts PM’s imminent resignation
Pressured by the escalating security crisis, Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced on 12 March that he will resign upon the establishment of a transitional council. A state of emergency was declared on 3 March, following a prison break involving 4,700 inmates. Gang violence, which has killed over 1,550 this year, spiraled after Henry traveled to Kenya in February to finalize a multinational security force agreement (which has since been postponed). The escalation of violence followed an offensive by gang coalitions which targeted police, government offices and the airport, among other key objectives, preventing Henry’s return. Since the beginning of March, more than 53,000 have fled the capital, basic services in the country have shut down, as schools and hospitals have been targeted by gangs. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) fears that 1.4 million Haitians are on the brink of famine. Thousands have fled to the heavily guarded border of the Dominican Republic and in March alone, 13,000 Haitian migrants were forcibly repatriated.
On 12 April, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)-backed transitional council, which will choose the new prime minister, was established.
Sources: EL Pais, Caribbean Life, Le Nouvelliste, International Organization for Migration, Amnesty, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, International IDEA
August 2023
Thousands of people are displaced from Port-au-Prince district
Around 5,000 people have been displaced from the Carrefour-Feuilles district of Port-au-Prince, according to the UN. The displacement is reportedly a result of gangs taking control over the area and the consequent violence. While police had initially responded and dispersed some gang members, violence continued after they withdrew. Some residents have organized in self-defence and vigilante groups that have, on occasion, engaged in violence themselves. As international pressure has grown for a multinational force to help contain violence, Kenya has offered to send 1,000 police officials for capacity-building and security purposes. This, however, has raised concern among human rights groups that have recorded rights violations and abuse from Kenyan police.
Sources: Radio France Internationale, British Broadcasting Corporation, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Le Nouvelliste
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