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 vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate-last held 25 June 1995 with reruns on 13 August and runoffs on 17 September (election held for nine seats 6 April 1997; results disputed and runoffs postponed indefinitely); Chamber of Deputies-last held 25 June 1995 with reruns on 13 August and runoffs on 17 September (next Senate and Chamber elections to be held November 1998) election results: Senate-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-Lavalas Political Organization 7, Lavalas family-leaning 7, independent 2, non-active members 2, vacant 9; Chamber of Deputies-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-Lavalas Political Organization (OPL) 32, antineoliberal bloc 24, minor parties and independents 22, vacant 5
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour de Cassation)
Political parties and leaders: Lavalas Family (FL), Jean-Bertrand
ARISTIDE; National Lavalas Political Organization (OPL), Gerard
PIERRE-CHARLES; National Front for Change and Democracy (FNCD), Evans
PAUL and Turneb DELPE; National Congress of Democratic Movements
(KONACOM), Victor BENOIT; Movement for the Installation of Democracy
in Haiti (MIDH), Marc BAZIN; National Progressive Revolutionary Party
(PANPRA), Serge GILLES; Movement for National Reconstruction (MRN),
Rene THEODORE; Haitian Christian Democratic Party (PDCH), Fritz
PIERRE; Assembly of Progressive National Democrats (RDNP), Leslie
MANIGAT; Mobilization for National Development (MDN), Hubert DE
RONCERAY; Movement for the Organization of the Country (MOP), Gesner
COMEAU and Jean MOLIERE; Open the Gate Party (PLB), Renaud BERNARDIN;
Union of Patriotic Democrats (UPD), Rockefeller GUERRE; Generation
2004, Claude ROUMAIN; Alliance for the Liberation and Advancement of
Haiti (ALAH), Reynold GEORGES; Haitian Democratic Party (PADEMH),
Clark PARENT; National Alliance for Democracy and Progress; Haiti Can
(Ayiti Kapab), Ernst VERDIEU
Political pressure groups and leaders: Roman Catholic Church;
Confederation of Haitian Workers (CTH); Federation of Workers Trade
Unions (FOS); Autonomous Haitian Workers (CATH); National Popular
Assembly (APN); Papaye Peasants Movement (MPP); Popular Organizations
Gathering Power (PROP)
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 (vacant); mission led by charge d' affairs 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 Timothy Michael CARNEY 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 white rectangle 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)
@Haiti:Economy
Economy-overview: About 75% of the population lives in abject poverty. Nearly 70% of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector, which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming and employs about two-thirds of the economically active work force. The country has experienced little or no job creation since President PREVAL took office in February 1996, although the informal economy is growing. Failure to reach agreements with international sponsors have denied Haiti badly needed budget and development assistance. Meeting aid conditions in 1998 will be especially challenging in the face of mounting popular criticism of reforms.