Government of Haiti
Encyclopedia
The Government of Haiti consists of a semi-presidential
republic
, pluriform multiparty system whereby the President of
Haiti
is head of state
directly elected by popular vote. The Prime Minister acts as head of government
, and is appointed by the President from the majority party in the National Assembly. Executive power
is exercised by the President and Prime Minister who together constitute this branch of government. Legislative power is vested in both the government
and the two chambers of the National Assembly of Haiti
. The government is organized unitarily
, thus the central government
delegates powers to the departments without a constitutional need for consent. The current structure of Haiti's political system was set forth in the Constitution of March 29, 1987
.
republic
, a multiparty system wherein the President of Haiti
is head of state elected directly by popular elections
. The Prime Minister acts as head of government and is appointed by the President, chosen from the majority party in the National Assembly. Executive power is exercised by the President and Prime Minister who together constitute the government.
Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the National Assembly of Haiti
. The government is organized unitarily
, thus the central government delegates powers to the departments without a constitutional need for consent. The current structure of Haiti's political system was set forth in the Constitution of Haiti
on 29 March 1987. The current president is Michel Martelly.
In 2010, there were 7,000 people in the Haitian National Police.
The Institute for the Protection of National Heritage
has preserved 33 historical monuments and the historic center of Cap-Haïtien.
The legal system for torts is based on a version of the Napoleonic Code
.
is officially a semi-president
ial republic
, although it is often claimed to be authoritarian in practice. Suffrage
is universal
, for adults over 18.
The constitution
was modeled after those of the United States
and of France
. It was approved in March 1987, but it was completely suspended from June 1988 to March 1989 and was only fully reinstated in October 1994.
|President
|Michel Martelly
|Farmers' Response Party
|14 May 2011
|-
|Prime Minister
|Garry Conille
|Independent
|18 October 2011
|}
Haiti's executive branch is composed of two parts, the presidency and the government. In this sense, "government" refers specifically to the portion of the executive branch outside of the presidency, and not to Haiti's political system as a whole.
and elected by popular vote every five years. He is assisted by his cabinet, which must be approved by the National Assembly. The current president is Michel Martelly.
The prime minister, the head of government
, is appointed by the president and ratified by the National Assembly. He appoints the Ministers and Secretaries of State and goes before the National Assembly to obtain a vote of confidence for his declaration of general policy. The Prime Minister enforces the laws and, along with the President, is responsible for national defense.
The ministries
of the Haitian government are:
(Assemblée Nationale) consists of the Chamber of Deputies
(Chambre des Députés) and the Senate
(Sénat). The Chamber of Deputies has ninety-nine members, who are elected for four-year terms. The Senate consists of thirty seats, one third elected every two years.
Prior to a 2002 territorial law which created a tenth department
, the Chamber of Deputies had eighty three seats and the Senate had twenty-seven.
civil law system. Haiti accepts compulsory jurisdiction
of the International Court of Justice
. There is a Supreme Court
(Cour de Cassation), assisted by local and civil courts at a communal level.
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, is in line to succeed the President in case of death or resignation, according to the 1987 Constitution of Haiti
.
. Each department is divided into from three to seven arrondissement
s, and arrondissements are further divided into communes. The departments are listed below, with the departmental capital cities in parentheses.
The departments are further divided into 41 arrondissement
s, and 133 communes, which serve as second- and third-level administrative divisions.
Semi-presidential system
The semi-presidential system is a system of government in which a president and a prime minister are both active participants in the day-to-day administration of the state...
republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
, pluriform multiparty system whereby the President of
President of Haiti
The President of the Republic of Haiti is the head of state of Haiti. Executive power in Haiti is divided between the president and the government headed by the Prime Minister of Haiti...
Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
is head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
directly elected by popular vote. The Prime Minister acts as head of government
Head of government
Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
, and is appointed by the President from the majority party in the National Assembly. Executive power
Executive Power
Executive Power is Vince Flynn's fifth novel, and the fourth to feature Mitch Rapp, an American agent that works for the CIA as an operative for a covert counter terrorism unit called the "Orion Team."-Plot summary:...
is exercised by the President and Prime Minister who together constitute this branch of government. Legislative power is vested in both the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
and the two chambers of the National Assembly of Haiti
National Assembly of Haïti
The Parliament of Haiti is the legislature of the Republic of Haiti. It sits at the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. The Parliament is bicameral, the upper house being the Senate of Haiti and the lower house being the Chamber of Deputies of Haiti....
. The government is organized unitarily
Unitary state
A unitary state is a state governed as one single unit in which the central government is supreme and any administrative divisions exercise only powers that their central government chooses to delegate...
, thus the central government
Central government
A central government also known as a national government, union government and in federal states, the federal government, is the government at the level of the nation-state. The structure of central governments varies from institution to institution...
delegates powers to the departments without a constitutional need for consent. The current structure of Haiti's political system was set forth in the Constitution of March 29, 1987
Constitution of Haïti
The Constitution of Haiti most commonly refers to the present-day Constitution of Haiti, which was modeled after those of the United States and of France. The document was ratified in March 1987, but it was completely suspended from June 1988 to March 1989 and was only fully reinstated in October...
.
Government
The government of Haiti is a semi-presidentialSemi-presidential system
The semi-presidential system is a system of government in which a president and a prime minister are both active participants in the day-to-day administration of the state...
republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
, a multiparty system wherein the President of Haiti
President of Haiti
The President of the Republic of Haiti is the head of state of Haiti. Executive power in Haiti is divided between the president and the government headed by the Prime Minister of Haiti...
is head of state elected directly by popular elections
Elections in Haïti
Elections in Haiti gives information on election and election results in Haiti.The current president is René Préval, who received 51 percent of the votes in the 2005 elections...
. The Prime Minister acts as head of government and is appointed by the President, chosen from the majority party in the National Assembly. Executive power is exercised by the President and Prime Minister who together constitute the government.
Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the National Assembly of Haiti
National Assembly of Haïti
The Parliament of Haiti is the legislature of the Republic of Haiti. It sits at the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. The Parliament is bicameral, the upper house being the Senate of Haiti and the lower house being the Chamber of Deputies of Haiti....
. The government is organized unitarily
Unitary state
A unitary state is a state governed as one single unit in which the central government is supreme and any administrative divisions exercise only powers that their central government chooses to delegate...
, thus the central government delegates powers to the departments without a constitutional need for consent. The current structure of Haiti's political system was set forth in the Constitution of Haiti
Constitution of Haïti
The Constitution of Haiti most commonly refers to the present-day Constitution of Haiti, which was modeled after those of the United States and of France. The document was ratified in March 1987, but it was completely suspended from June 1988 to March 1989 and was only fully reinstated in October...
on 29 March 1987. The current president is Michel Martelly.
In 2010, there were 7,000 people in the Haitian National Police.
The Institute for the Protection of National Heritage
Institut de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine National
The Institut de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine National, the Haitian Institute for the Protection of National Heritage, was founded in 1979 and has since been active...
has preserved 33 historical monuments and the historic center of Cap-Haïtien.
The legal system for torts is based on a version of the Napoleonic Code
Napoleonic code
The Napoleonic Code — or Code Napoléon — is the French civil code, established under Napoléon I in 1804. The code forbade privileges based on birth, allowed freedom of religion, and specified that government jobs go to the most qualified...
.
History
HaitiHaiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
is officially a semi-president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
ial republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
, although it is often claimed to be authoritarian in practice. Suffrage
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
is universal
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
, for adults over 18.
The constitution
Constitution of Haïti
The Constitution of Haiti most commonly refers to the present-day Constitution of Haiti, which was modeled after those of the United States and of France. The document was ratified in March 1987, but it was completely suspended from June 1988 to March 1989 and was only fully reinstated in October...
was modeled after those of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It was approved in March 1987, but it was completely suspended from June 1988 to March 1989 and was only fully reinstated in October 1994.
Executive branch
|President
President of Haiti
The President of the Republic of Haiti is the head of state of Haiti. Executive power in Haiti is divided between the president and the government headed by the Prime Minister of Haiti...
|Michel Martelly
|Farmers' Response Party
|14 May 2011
|-
|Prime Minister
|Garry Conille
Garry Conille
Dr. Garry Conille is a Haitian academic, development worker, author, and current Prime Minister of Haiti.-Early life:...
|Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
|18 October 2011
|}
Haiti's executive branch is composed of two parts, the presidency and the government. In this sense, "government" refers specifically to the portion of the executive branch outside of the presidency, and not to Haiti's political system as a whole.
President
The president is the head of stateHead of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
and elected by popular vote every five years. He is assisted by his cabinet, which must be approved by the National Assembly. The current president is Michel Martelly.
Government
Haiti's government is composed of the Prime Minister, the other Ministers, and the Secretaries of State.The prime minister, the head of government
Head of government
Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
, is appointed by the president and ratified by the National Assembly. He appoints the Ministers and Secretaries of State and goes before the National Assembly to obtain a vote of confidence for his declaration of general policy. The Prime Minister enforces the laws and, along with the President, is responsible for national defense.
The ministries
Ministry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
of the Haitian government are:
- Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development
- Ministry of Commerce and IndustryMinistry of Commerce and IndustryThe was a cabinet-level ministry in the government of the Empire of Japan from 1925-1947. It was created from the , and was briefly merged with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to reestablish that Ministry during World War II.-History:...
- Ministry of Finance and Economy
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Ministry of Information and Coordination
- Ministry of Interior and National Defense
- Haiti Ministry of Justice
- Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sports
- Ministry of Planning and Foreign Aid
- Ministry of Public Health and Population
- Ministry of Public Works, Transportation and Communications
- Ministry of Social Affairs
Legislative branch
The bicameral National Assembly of HaitiNational Assembly of Haïti
The Parliament of Haiti is the legislature of the Republic of Haiti. It sits at the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. The Parliament is bicameral, the upper house being the Senate of Haiti and the lower house being the Chamber of Deputies of Haiti....
(Assemblée Nationale) consists of the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Haïti
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of Haiti's bicameral legislature, the National Assembly. The upper house of the National Assembly is the Senate of Haiti. The Chamber has ninety-nine members who are elected by popular vote to four-year terms...
(Chambre des Députés) and the Senate
Senate of Haiti
The Senate of Haiti is the upper house of Haiti's bicameral legislature, the National Assembly. The lower house of the National Assembly is the Chamber of Deputies. The Senate consists of thirty seats, with three members from each of the ten administrative departments. Prior to the creation of the...
(Sénat). The Chamber of Deputies has ninety-nine members, who are elected for four-year terms. The Senate consists of thirty seats, one third elected every two years.
Prior to a 2002 territorial law which created a tenth department
Departments of Haiti
The Communes of Haiti are the third-level divisions of Haiti. The 10 departments have 42 arrondissements which are divided into 140 communes.-Artibonite Department:*Dessalines Arrondissement**Desdunes**Dessalines**Grande Saline...
, the Chamber of Deputies had eighty three seats and the Senate had twenty-seven.
Judicial branch
The legal system is based on the RomanRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
civil law system. Haiti accepts compulsory jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
of the International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
. There is a Supreme Court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
(Cour de Cassation), assisted by local and civil courts at a communal level.
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, is in line to succeed the President in case of death or resignation, according to the 1987 Constitution of Haiti
Constitution of Haïti
The Constitution of Haiti most commonly refers to the present-day Constitution of Haiti, which was modeled after those of the United States and of France. The document was ratified in March 1987, but it was completely suspended from June 1988 to March 1989 and was only fully reinstated in October...
.
Administrative divisions
For reasons of administration, Haiti has been divided into ten departmentsDepartments of Haiti
The Communes of Haiti are the third-level divisions of Haiti. The 10 departments have 42 arrondissements which are divided into 140 communes.-Artibonite Department:*Dessalines Arrondissement**Desdunes**Dessalines**Grande Saline...
. Each department is divided into from three to seven arrondissement
Arrondissement
Arrondissement is any of various administrative divisions of France, certain other Francophone countries, and the Netherlands.-France:The 101 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts. The capital of an arrondissement is called a...
s, and arrondissements are further divided into communes. The departments are listed below, with the departmental capital cities in parentheses.
- ArtiboniteArtibonite DepartmentArtibonite is one of the ten departments of Haiti. With an area of 4,984 km² it is Haiti's largest department. Artibonite has a population of 1,168,800 . The region is the country's main rice-growing area. The main cities are Gonaïves and Saint-Marc...
(GonaïvesGonaïvesGonaïves is a city in northern Haiti, the capital of the Artibonite Department. It has a population of about 104,825 people . The city's name derives from the original Amerindian name of Gonaibo. It is also known as Haïti's "independence city"...
) - CentreCentre DepartmentCentre is one of the ten departments of Haiti, located in the center of the country, along the border with the Dominican Republic. It has an area of 3,675 km² and a population of 564,200 . Its capital is Hinche. It borders the Dominican Republic to the east. It is the only landlocked...
(HincheHincheHinche is a city in central Haiti. It has a population of about 50,000. It is the capital of Centre department. Hinche is the hometown of Charlemagne Péralte, the Haitian nationalist leader who resisted the United States occupation of Haïti .-Culture:The majority of the population are of African...
) - Grand'AnseGrand'Anse DepartmentGrand'Anse is one of the ten administrative departments of Haiti. Its capital is Jérémie.-History:...
(JérémieJérémieJérémie is the capital city of the department of Grand'Anse, in Haiti, with a population of about 31,000 . It is almost isolated from the rest of the country...
) - NippesNippes DepartmentNippes is the newest department of Haiti, having been split from Grand'Anse Department in 2003. The capital of the department is Miragoâne.The department is divided into three arrondissements:* Miragoâne Arrondissement...
(MiragoâneMiragoaneMiragoâne is a coastal town in western Haïti and the capital of the Nippes Department. It is regarded as one of the major ports in the trade in used goods. Bales of used clothing, shoes, appliances and used cars arrive at the port from Miami and other U.S. cities. Local merchants in the informal...
) - Nord (Cap-HaïtienCap-HaïtienCap-Haïtien is a city of about 190,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Department of Nord...
) - Nord-EstNord-Est DepartmentNord-Est is one of the ten departments of Haiti. It has an area of 1,805 km² and a population of 283,800 . Its capital is Fort-Liberté. It used to be part of Nord Department...
(Fort-LibertéFort-LibertéFort-Liberté is the administrative capital of the Nord-Est Department, Haiti. It is close to the border of the Dominican Republic and is one of the oldest cities in the country. Haiti's independence was proclaimed here on November 29, 1803. The area around Fort-Liberté was originally inhabited by...
) - Nord-OuestNord-Ouest DepartmentNord-Ouest is one of the ten departments of Haiti as well as the northernmost one. It has an area of 2,176 km² and a population of 445,080 . Its capital is Port-de-Paix....
(Port-de-PaixPort-de-PaixPort-de-Paix is a city and the capital of the département of Nord-Ouest in Haïti on the Atlantic coast. It has a population of 250,000 ....
) - OuestOuest DepartmentOuest is one of the ten departments of Haiti. It is the jurisdictional seat of the national capital, the city of Port-au-Prince. It has an area of and a population of 3,093,698 . It borders the Dominican Republic to the east.It is the second largest department in Haiti after the Artibonite...
(Port-au-PrincePort-au-PrincePort-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
) - Sud-EstSud-Est DepartmentSud-Est is one of the ten departments of Haiti. It has an area of 2,023 km² and a population of 518,200 . Its capital is Jacmel...
(JacmelJacmelJacmel, also known by its indigenous Taíno name of Yaquimel, is a town in southern Haiti founded in 1698. It is the capital of the department of Sud-Est and has an estimated population of 40,000, while the municipality of Jacmel had a population of 137,966 at the 2003 Census.The buildings are...
) - SudSud DepartmentSud is one of the ten departments of Haiti. It has an area of and a population of 745,000 . Its capital is Les Cayes. A large part of the population of Haitians in this department is of mixed race, mulattoes along with other mixtures such as Arabs and East Indians...
(Les CayesLes CayesLes Cayes , is a town and seaport in southwestern Haiti, with a population of approximately 45,904 people . Estimates from 2008 place the population at close to 70,000 people...
)
The departments are further divided into 41 arrondissement
Arrondissement
Arrondissement is any of various administrative divisions of France, certain other Francophone countries, and the Netherlands.-France:The 101 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts. The capital of an arrondissement is called a...
s, and 133 communes, which serve as second- and third-level administrative divisions.
External links
- Haiti's New Government Faces Historic Dilemmas U.S. Institute of Peace Briefing, May 2006
- International Mission for Monitoring Haitian Elections