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.
Monthly Event Reports
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.
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.
July 2023 | CARICOM talks fail to produce breakthrough
In a bid to resolve Haiti's ongoing political crisis, a meeting facilitated by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was held in Jamaica from 11 to 13 June. Although Haitian politicians and civil society leaders attended, the High Transitional Council (HTC) did not. Significant proposals were discussed, including Prime Minister Henry’s plans to expand the HTC and establish a government of national unity. The opposition parties expressed concerns about the Prime Minister's extensive powers and proposed the formation of a presidential college in conjunction with the Prime Minister's role. Subsequently, a CARICOM delegation met with Haitian stakeholders in Port-au-Prince from 12 to 15 July, continuing the facilitation of inter-Haitian dialogue. Although no definitive agreement was reached, progress was reported on 18 July, with a reduced number of parties involved and a future negotiation agenda. This development aims to facilitate credible elections and establish a constitution-based government.
April 2023 | Suspected gang members lynched amid intensifying violence
Haiti’s police confirmed on 24 April that at least a dozen suspected gang members had been killed by a group of residents in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The violence was sparked after gang members stormed and looted homes in residential sections of the city, attacking inhabitants. Although the alleged gang members had been arrested, citizens pulled the suspects from police custody, beating and lynching them with gasoline-soaked tires. The violence highlights increasing public anger over the security situation in Haiti. According to the UN, more civilians have died in Haiti during the first quarter of 2023, ‘than in many of the bloodiest conflicts still ongoing in the rest of the world’. OHCHR issued a statement on 9 May saying that at least 164 mob killings and lynchings of alleged gang members were documented and more than 600 people killed in Haiti during the month of April.
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