Administrative divisions:
10 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite,
Centre, Grand 'Anse, Nippes, 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 with most articles
reinstated March 1989; constitutional government ousted in a
military coup in September 1991, although in October 1991, military
government claimed to be observing the constitution; returned to
constitutional rule in October 1994; constitution remains
technically in force but has not been observed since Aristide's
departure in 2004
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 PREVAL (since 14 May 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard ALEXIS (since 30
May 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with
the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 7 February
2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the
president, ratified by the National Assembly
election results: Rene PREVAL elected president; percent of vote -
Rene PREVAL 51%
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the
Senate (30 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year
terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of
Deputies (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms); note - in reestablishing the Senate, the candidate
in each department receiving the most votes in the last election
serves six years, the candidate with the second most votes serves
four years, and the candidate with the third most votes serves two
years
elections: Senate - last held 21 April 2006, run-off elections to be
determined (next regular election, for one third of seats, to be
held in 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 April 2006,
run-off elections to be determined (next regular election to be held
in 2010)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - L'ESPWA 11, OPL 4, FL 3, FUSION 3, LAAA 2, UNCRH 2, ALYANS
1, PONT 1, 3 seats subject to run-off election; Chamber of Deputies
- percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 19, FUSION
15, ALYANS 10, OPL 8, FL 6, UNCRH 6, MPH 4, RDNP 4, LAAA 3,KONBA 3,
FRN 1, MOCHRENHA 1, MRN 1, Tet-Ansanm 1, MIRN 1, JPDN 1, UNITE 1,
PLH 1, 13 seats subject to run-off election
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation
Political parties and leaders:
Artibonite in Action or LAAA [Youri LATORTUE]; Assembly of
Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT]; Convention
for Democratic Unity or KID [Evans PAUL]; Cooperative Action to
Build Haiti or KONBA [Evans LESCOUFALIR]; Democratic Alliance or
ALYANS (coalition composed of KID and PPRH) [Evans PAUL]; Effort and
Solidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP [Joseph
JASME]; For Us All or PONT [Jean-Marie CHERESTAL]; Front for Hope or
L'ESPWA (alliance of ESKAMP, PLB, and grass-roots organizations
Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, the Central Plateau Peasants'
Group, and Kombit Sudest) [Rene PREVAL]; Grand Center Right Front
coalition (composed of MDN, MRN, and PDCH) [Hubert de RONCERAY];
Haitian Christian Democratic Party or PDCH [Osner FEVRY and
Marie-Denise CLAUDE]; Haitian Democratic and Reform Movement or
MODEREH [Dany TOUSSAINT and Pierre Soncon PRINCE]; Heads Together or
Tet-Ansanm [Dr. Gerard BLOT]; Independent Movement for National
Reconciliation or MIRN [Luc FLEURINORD]; Justice for Peace and
National Development or JPDN [Rigaud DUPLAN]; Fanmi Lavalas or FL
[Rudy HERIVEAUX]; Liberal Party of Haiti or PLH [Gehy MICHEL];
Merging of Haitian Social Democratic Parties or FUSION or FPSDH
(merged Ayiti Capable, Haitian National Revolutionary Party, and
National Congress of Democratic Movements) [Serge GILLES];
Mobilization for Haiti's Development or MPH [Samir MOURRA];
Mobilization for National Development or MDN [Hubert de RONCERAY];
Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN [Jean Henold BUTEAU];
Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti or MIDH [Marc
BAZIN]; National Christian Union for the Reconstruction of Haiti or
UNCRH [Marie Claude GERMAIN]; National Front for the Reconstruction
of Haiti or FRN [Guy PHILIPPE]; New Christian Movement for a New
Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]; Open the Gate Party or PLB [Anes
LUBIN]; Popular Party for the Renewal of Haiti or PPRH [Claude
ROMAIN and Daniel SUPPLICE]; Struggling People's Organization or OPL
[Edgard LEBLANC]; Union for Haiti or UPH (coalition of MIDH and FL)
[Marc BAZIN]; Union of Nationalist and Progressive Haitians or UNITE
[Edouard FRANCISQUE]