Haiti Government 1997

Country name
conventional long form : Republic of Haiti
conventional short form: Haiti
local long form: Republique d'Haiti
local short form: Haiti

Data code HA

Government type republic

National capital Port-au-Prince

Administrative divisions 9 departments, (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite, Centre,Grand'Anse, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est

Independence 1 January 1804 (from France)

National holiday Independence Day, 1 January (1804)

Constitution approved March 1987, suspended June 1988, most articles reinstated March1989; in October 1991, government claimed to be observing the constitution;return to constitutional rule, October 1994

Legal system based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
chief of state: President Rene Garcia PREVAL (since 7 February 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Rosny SMARTH (since March 1996)
cabinet : Cabinet; chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election lastheld 17 December 1995 (next to be held by December 2000); prime minister appointedby the president
election results: Rene Garcia PREVAL elected president; percent of vote - Rene GarciaPREVAL 88%, Leon JEUNE 2.5%, Victor BENOIT 2.3%

Legislative branch bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the Senate(27 seats; members serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years)and the Chamber of Deputies (83 seats; members are elected by popular voteto serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 25 June 1995 with reruns on 13 August and runoffson 17 September (election held for nine seats 6 April 1997; runoffs to beheld 25 May 1997 were postponed); Chamber of Deputies - last held 25 June1995 with reruns on 13 August and runoffs on 17 September (next to be heldNA 1999; byelections for two vacant seats were held 6 April 1997; runoffsto be held 25 May 1997 were postponed)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Lavalas Platform17, FNDC 6, National Alliance for Democracy and Progress 2, RDNP 1, independent1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LavalasPlatform 67, FNCD 2, CONACOM 1, PANPRA 1, MRN 2, MKN 1, PROP 1, UPD 2, independents4, vacant 2

Judicial branch Court of Appeal (Cour de Cassation)

Political parties and leaders National Front for Change and Democracy (FNCD), Evans PAUL and TurnebDELPE; National Cooperative Action Movement (MKN), Volvick Remy JOSEPH; NationalCongress of Democratic Movements (CONACOM), Victor BENOIT; Movement for theInstallation of Democracy in Haiti (MIDH), Marc BAZIN; National ProgressiveRevolutionary Party (PANPRA), Serge GILLES; National Patriotic Movement ofNovember 28 (MNP-28), Dejean BELIZAIRE; National Agricultural and IndustrialParty (PAIN), Louis DEJOIE; Movement for National Reconstruction (MRN), ReneTHEODORE; Haitian Christian Democratic Party (PDCH), Fritz PIERRE; Assemblyof Progressive National Democrats (RDNP), Leslie MANIGAT; National Labor Party(PNT), Remy ZAMOR; Mobilization for National Development (MDN), Hubert DERONCERAY; Democratic Movement for the Liberation of Haiti (MODELH), FrancoisLATORTUE; Popular Organizations Gathering Power (PROP), Simon JEAN-POIX; Movementfor the Organization of the Country (MOP), Gesner COMEAU and Jean MOLIERE;Democratic Unity Confederation (KID), Evans PAUL; National Lavalas PoliticalOrganization (OPL), Gerard PIERRE-CHARLES; Open the Gate Party (PLB), RenaudBERNARDIN; Haitian National Democratic Progressive Party (PNDPH), Turneb DELPE;Union of Patriotic Democrats (UPD), Rockefeller GUERRE; Cooperative Actionfor Economic Liberation (KLE), Leon JEUNE; Generation 2004, Claude ROUMAIN;Alliance for the Liberation and Advancement of Haiti (ALAH), Reynold GEORGES;Lavalas Political Platform or PPL (an alliance of OPL and MOP) [Renaud BERNARDIN];Haitian Democratic Party (PADEMH), Clark PARENT; National Rally of DemocraticForces (RANFO), Jean Nazaire THIDE, Marino ETIENNE; National Alliance forDemocracy and Progress

Political pressure groups and leaders Roman Catholic Church; Confederation of Haitian Workers (CTH); Federationof Workers Trade Unions (FOS); Autonomous Haitian Workers (CATH); NationalPopular Assembly (APN); Papaye Peasants Movement (MPP)

International organization participation ACCT, ACP, Caricom (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,IOM, ITU, LAES, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU,WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission : Ambassador Jean CASIMIR
chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-4090 through 4092
FAX: [1] (202) 745-7215
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador William Lacy SWING
embassy : 5 Harry Truman Boulevard, Port-au-Prince
mailing address: P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince
telephone: [509] 22-0354, 22-0368, 22-0200, 22-0612
FAX: [509] 23-1641

Flag description two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a centered whiterectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a palm tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE(Union Makes Strength)

NOTE: The information regarding Haiti on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Haiti Government 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Haiti Government 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.