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NAVIGATION
Republic of Haiti
Republique d'Haiti
GOVERNMENT
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of Haiti
conventional short form: Haiti local short form: Haiti local long form: Republique d'Haiti |
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Government type:
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elected government |
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Capital:
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Port-au-Prince |
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Administrative divisions:
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9 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand 'Anse, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est |
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Independence:
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1 January 1804 (from France) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 1 January (1804) |
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Constitution:
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approved March 1987; suspended June 1988, with most articles reinstated March 1989; in October 1991, government claimed to be observing the constitution; return to constitutional rule, October 1994 |
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Legal system:
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based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE (since 7 February 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Yvon NEPTUNE (since 4 March 2002); note - former Prime Minister CHERESTAL resigned in January 2002 cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 26 November 2000 (next to be held NA 2005); prime minister appointed by the president, ratified by the National Assembly election results: Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE elected president; percent of vote - Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE 92% |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the Senate (27 seats; members elected by popular vote to 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 for two-thirds of seats 21 May 2000, with runoffs on 9 July boycotted by the opposition; seven seats still disputed; election for remaining one-third held on 26 November 2000 (next to be held NA 2002); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 May 2000, with runoffs on 30 July boycotted by the opposition; one vacant seat rerun 26 November 2000 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FL 26, independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FL 73, MOCHRENA 3, PLB 2, OPL 1, vacant 1, other minor parties and independents 3 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Alliance for the Liberation and Advancement of Haiti or ALAH [Reynold GEORGES]; Assembly of Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT]; Convergence (opposition coalition composed of ESPACE, OPL, and MOCHRENA) [Gerard PIERRE-CHARLES, Evans PAUL, Luc MESADIEU, Victor BENOIT]; Democratic Consultation Group coalition or ESPACE [Evans PAUL, Victor Benoit] composed of the following parties: National Congress of Democratic Movements or KONAKOM, National Progressive Revolutionary Party or PANPRA, Generation 2004, and Haiti Can; Haitian Christian Democratic Party or PDCH [Marie-France CLAUDE]; Haitian Democratic Party or PADEM [Clark PARENT]; Lavalas Family or FL [Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE]; Mobilization for National Development or MDN [Hubert DE RONCERAY]; Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN [Rene THEODORE]; Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti or MIDH [Marc BAZIN]; Movement for the Organization of the Country or MOP [Gesner COMEAU and Jean MOLIERE]; National Cooperative Action Movement or MKN [Volrick Remy JOSEPH]; National Front for Change and Democracy or FNCD [Evans PAUL and Turneb DELPE]; New Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]; Open the Gate or PLB [Renaud BERNARDIN]; Struggling People's Organization or OPL [Gerard PIERRE-CHARLES] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Autonomous Haitian Workers or CATH; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of Workers Trade Unions or FOS; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye Peasants Movement or MPP; Popular Organizations Gathering Power or PROP; Roman Catholic Church |
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International organization participation:
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ACCT, ACP, Caricom, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chief of Mission Harry Frantz LEO
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Juan (Puerto Rico) FAX: [1] (202) 745-7215 telephone: [1] (202) 332-4090 chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Roger NORIEGA
embassy: 5 Harry S Truman Boulevard, Port-au-Prince mailing address: P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince telephone: [509] 222-0354, 222-0269, 222-0200, 222-0327 FAX: [509] 223-1641, 222-0200, extension 460 |
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Flag description:
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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) |
ECONOMY
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Economy - overview:
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About 80% 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 job creation since the former President PREVAL took office in February 1996, although the informal economy is growing. Following legislative elections in May 2000, fraught with irregularities, international donors - including the US and EU - suspended almost all aid to Haiti. The economy shrank an estimated 1.2% in 2001, and the contraction will likely intensify in 2002 unless a political agreement with donors is reached and aid restored. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $12 billion (2001 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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-1.2% (2001 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2001 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 30%
industry: 20% services: 50% (2001 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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80% (1998 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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14% (2001 est.) |
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Labor force:
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3.6 million (1995)
note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (2001) (1995) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 66%, services 25%, industry 9% |
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Unemployment rate:
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widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs (2001) (2001) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $273 million
expenditures: $361 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.) |
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Industries:
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sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, light assembly industries based on imported parts |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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0.6% (1997 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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522 million kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 69%
hydro: 31% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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485.46 million kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2000) |
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Agriculture - products:
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coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood |
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Exports:
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$326.6 million f.o.b. (2001) |
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Exports - commodities:
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manufactures, coffee, oils, cocoa |
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Exports - partners:
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US 90%, EU 6% (2000) |
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Imports:
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$977.5 million c.i.f. (2001) |
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Imports - commodities:
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food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials |
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Imports - partners:
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US 60%, EU 10.5%, Dominican Republic 3.7% (2000) |
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Debt - external:
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$1.2 billion (1999) (1999) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$730.6 million (1995) (1995) |
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Currency:
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gourde (HTG) |
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Currency code:
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HTG |
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Exchange rates:
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gourdes per US dollar - 26.674 (January 2002), 26.339 (2001), 22.524 (2000), 17.965 (1999), 16.505 (1998), 17.311 (1997) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 October - 30 September |