June 5, 2012 - The parliament's approval of a new government in May marked a new chapter for Haiti.  The swearing-in of Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe and his cabinet ended the political deadlock in place for most of the last year.  Although challenges remain, the Haitian government is poised to begin addressing the major issues facing the country.  One positive indication is the prime minister's announcement that the government is prepared to crack down on armed members of Haiti's rogue army.  Another signal is the arrival of Haiti's new ambassador to the United States, Paul Altidor. 

- Robert Perito, Director, USIP Haiti Program

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March 20, 2012 - President Michel Martelly has nominated Haiti's foreign minister, Laurent Lamothe, to be the country's next prime minister. Lamothe is a former entrepreneur and member of Haiti's Davis Cup tennis team. He is also the president's long-time friend and business partner and the most influential official in Martelly's administration. Given Haiti's ongoing political crisis, confirmation will not be easy. Lamothe's candidacy was immediately challenged by opponents in parliament. Senators demanded proof that the U.S.-educated Lamothe,  who lived abroad for extended periods, did not violate the dual nationality and residency requirements set forth in Haiti's constitution. A disagreement between Martelly and the former prime minister, Garry Conille, over how to respond to similar parliamentary demands for proof of citizenship forced Conille's resignation when Martelly refused to comply. Martelly reversed his position on March 9, when he appeared before television cameras and a gathering of parliamentarians and diplomats to show eight stamped Haitian passports that he held over the years. U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Merten stated that Martelly had held permanent resident status in the U.S. but had surrendered his green card and obtained a U.S. visa before running for president. Whether Martelly's gesture will end the controversy or improve his relations with the parliament is uncertain.

Meanwhile, Haiti's caretaker government is not able to deal with international donors and potential investors or make the necessary decisions to advance Haiti's reconstruction. Nongovernmental organizations can implement individual projects, but large scale infrastructure development requires government planning and long-term program management.  Humanitarian aid continues to reach Haiti, but donors avoid funding Haiti's government because of the perception of general dysfunction. This perception of growing disorganization is fed by reports of rising crime rates in Port-au-Prince, demonstrations by supporters of former President Aristide and reports of armed military trainings at old army bases in defiance of the government. A human rights group found that 147 people and five police officers have been gunned down in Haiti in just the first months of 2012 alone, an indication of the worrisome level of violence fueled by uncertainty about Haiti's political future.

- Robert Perito, Director, USIP Haiti Program

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February 28, 2012 - Under pressure from President Martelly, Haiti’s Prime Minister Garry Conille resigned after only four months in office, plunging the country into another political crisis. At issue was Conille’s willingness, despite Martelly’s objections, to cooperate with a parliamentary inquiry into whether the president, prime minister and members of the cabinet had dual nationality, a violation of Haiti’s constitution. Conille submitted his resignation after Martelly ordered cabinet ministers not to meet with the prime minister, a show of force on the issue of who controlled the government.   Conille’s resignation followed months of tension between the two men who came from very different backgrounds. The prime minister, a U.S. educated doctor and U.N. development expert, proved a poor fit with the president, a popular entertainer and self-made politician. Most observers believed the break was inevitable.  Few were surprised when it happened.

As a result of Conille’s resignation, Haiti is left with a caretaker government that will be unable to interact with international donors and guide the country’s reconstruction.  Among Conille’s problems with Martelly was the prime minister’s determination to investigate allegations that money from $800 million in earthquake-related contracts awarded by the previous prime minister were used in Martelly’s political campaign.  Martelly opposed the investigation, arguing that the country needed to move on.  A special audit commission is looking in to the contracts and is due to report soon. With both the government’s leadership and the status of project funding in question, international donors are likely to hold back their contributions to Haiti’s recovery from the 2010 earthquake. The World Bank-run Haiti Reconstruction Fund alone reportedly has $100 million worth of contracts on hold because of doubts about the government’s ability to provide approval in a credible manner. 

President Martelly has promised to quickly nominate a replacement prime minister, but parliament rejected his first two selections for the job and confirmation will not be easy. Beyond Martelly’s problems with parliament, there is the more fundamental problem of the vagaries in the country’s constitution. Termed the greatest threat to Haiti’s stability by former President Préval, the constitution is unclear about the powers of the president and the prime minister and their relationships with the parliament. The constitution calls for the annual election of a third of the senate. Elections for parliament and all local offices must be held this spring, a prospect which seems questionable. Thus, Haiti could soon face a situation where both the government and the parliament are in limbo. Once again, Haiti has reached a tipping point where the country could slide backwards toward authoritarian rule. Observers point to the Haitian court’s decision not to prosecute former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier and the gathering of armed men at former military bases in response to Martelly’s proposal to reestablish the Haitian Army as reasons for concern.   

- Robert Perito, Director, USIP Haiti Program

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February 23, 2012 - The color and pageantry of Haiti's pre-Lenten carnival celebration provided the backdrop for a political confrontation between Haiti's president and parliament and a visit by a U.N. Security Council delegation. President Michel Martelly's already troubled relations with opposition parliamentarians reached a crisis point over parliament's demand that Martelly and Prime Minister Garry Conille prove that they did not hold dual citizenship, which would make them ineligible to hold public office in Haiti. Martelly's refusal to comply with parliament's demands led to an internal dispute between the president and prime minister over who controls government ministers and sets government policy. International officials and foreign diplomats worked frantically to prevent the removal of Conille, which would have left the country without a functioning government already facing scheduled Senate and local elections this spring. Such rising political tensions are what possibly triggered a February 17 attack on President Martelly who was struck by a rock while marching in a carnival parade.

Fears of political turmoil also prompted a visit to Haiti by a Security Council delegation led by U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice that looked at local conditions and the future of MINUSTAH. The delegation met with Haitian officials and visited a tent city, the police academy and an industrial park. President Martelly used the visit to reiterate his hope to reestablish the Haitian army as a replacement for the U.N. peacekeeping force. Haitians have taken an increasingly negative view of MINUSTAH, which is blamed for sexual assaults and introducing cholera to the island. At the conclusion of the visit, Ambassador Rice stated that Haiti's limited resources were best used to improve the Haitian National Police and not to restart the army. She also called upon Haiti's leaders to subordinate their separate interests and work together for the common good.  

- Robert Perito, Director, USIP Haiti Program

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January 12, 2012 - On January 12, 2012, the second anniversary of Haiti’s devastating earthquake passed with Haiti’s government and the international community receiving mixed reviews. Proponents noted that the country finally had a functioning government led by a respected, former international civil servant, Prime Minister Garry Conille, following a year of political paralysis.  Thoroughfares in the capital were open for traffic after the removal of approximately half the rubble, even if it had been removed one wheelbarrow at a time. Large scale foreign investment had begun with the announcement of a new Marriott Hotel and the construction of a garment factory by a South Korean firm that promised 20,000 jobs. Additionally, some 500,000 children received free education under a plan sponsored by the President - even though funding remains in doubt. Also this past year, Haiti’s president, Michel Martelly, deferred his intention to use scarce resources to create a new army and improved his relations with opponents in parliament.

Critiques of the overall response to Haiti’s problems noted that 550,000 earthquake victims still lived in squalid tents and makeshift shelters with little prospect of early resettlement. Haiti had allowed the mandate for the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission to expire with only $2.3 billion of the pledged $5.3 billion in international reconstruction assistance delivered. Absent an international mechanism to vet project proposals and manage funding, it was doubtful that the remaining money would materialize. More than half the rubble in Port-au-Prince remained in place, including the Presidential Palace, with little prospect of its removal in the near term. Deaths from the cholera epidemic had fallen due to improved treatment for victims.  However, the disease has killed nearly 7,000 people and sickened another 515,000.

At the beginning of a new year, the balance between optimists and pessimists seemed to have shifted slightly in favor of those taking a more hopeful view.  The American ambassador to Haiti, Kenneth Merten, on January 12 told The Washington Post that he was “pretty optimistic” about the country’s future. The newspaper also quoted a State Department official saying the U.S. would deliver the remainder of its pledged reconstruction assistance by the end of the year. 

- Robert Perito, Director, USIP Haiti Program

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November 28, 2011 - On November 18, 2011, President Michel Martelly announced the appointment of a commission to study the question of whether to restore Haiti's military. The commission will report its findings on January 1, 2012 after consulting broadly with Haitian society. Martelly's campaign promise to restore the military drew opposition from the United Nations, media, as well as the United States, Canada, France, and other donor governments. Opponents noted that there were more effective ways to achieve the president's laudable goals of creating jobs, controlling crime, and protecting Haiti's borders. They pointed to the importance of strengthening Haiti's struggling police force and of using scarce resources for post-earthquake reconstruction. Critics noted that Haiti's military had a long tradition of human rights abuse and meddling in the country's political affairs.  In announcing the commission, Martelly offered assurances on his determination to strengthen the police and find a solution to the long term problem of replacing the UN peacekeeping force that is now responsible for maintaining security.

Martelly's decision was welcomed by international observers who pointed to the urgent need to refocus attention on reconstruction and national development. International efforts to assist Haiti ground to a virtual halt in October with the expiration of the mandate of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC). Absent a decision by Haiti's parliament to extend the commission's mandate or create an alternative, the 120 projects submitted to the IHRC remained on hold as did the donations of assistance pledged by donor countries. The IHRC, co-chaired by former President Bill Clinton and Haiti's prime minster, had received only half of the $4.6 billion pledged for Haiti's recovery. Most of this money had not been disbursed, all but halting major reconstruction. President Martelly had reversed his campaign opposition to the IHRC, calling for the extension of its mandate for an additional year.  According to Haitian officials, the parliament had not acted upon the president's request to extend the commission.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Government Accountability Office reported that the U.S. bilateral assistance program to Haiti had suffered from inadequate staffing and numerous delays in dispensing the $412 million in aid provided by Congress.   The report noted that a combination of the State Department's failure to fill positions in the U.S. embassy in Port au Prince and practical problems such as the absence of property titles for reconstruction sites had held back U.S. programs. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that 550,000 displaced persons remain in 802 camps where poor sanitation conditions contributed to the cholera epidemic that has killed 6,700 and sickened nearly 500,000. According to the UN, efforts to control the disease were hampered by the reduction of anti-cholera NGO programs from 128 in 2010 to 40 at present. Cholera is preventable, but the means - clean water and proper hygiene - are beyond the reach of many Haitians.

- Robert Perito, Director, USIP Haiti Program

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October 28, 2011 - In October, Haiti's new government took several important steps forward, but also took what many observers believe was a significant step back. On October 5, Haiti's Senate voted to confirm Dr. Garry Conille, a physician and former UN development expert, as the country's new prime minister. This action was followed by parliamentary approval of Conille's appointed cabinet ministers and his governing program that stressed job creation, resettlement, reconstruction, education and public health. Political progress in Haiti was welcomed by the United Nations Security Council.  The UNSC voted unanimously on October 14 to extend the mandate of MINUSTAH, the UN peacekeeping force, for another year and to reduce the number of troops and police to the pre-earthquake level of 10,581 personnel in recognition of improved security. The UN reported that earthquake rubble removal for Port-au-Prince had reached the fifty percent mark. The UN estimates that the earthquake caused the destruction of 80,000 buildings and left behind ten million cubic meters of rubble.

Positive reaction to these developments was dampened considerably when it became clear that President Michel Martelly intended to go forward with plans to restore Haiti's army. The force was disbanded by President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 1995 because of its history of coups and human rights abuse. Martelly said that the new army would be a professional force of 3,500 personnel that would create employment, patrol the border, control civil unrest and respond to natural disasters. The army's $95 million price tag would include $15 million in compensation for former soldiers who claim that they are owed a pension. The president's proposal produced a sharp reaction from donor governments, NGOs and the media which noted the army's negative history, the drain on resources needed for resettlement and reconstruction and Martelly's links to authoritarian groups including allies of the former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier. On October 24, the head of the UN mission in Haiti announced that restoration of the army would require a new agreement with the UN since the current mandate has no provision for the UN force to work with a Haitian military. It remains to be seen whether Martelly will actually announce his plans for the army and name a general staff on November 18, Haitian armed forces day and the anniversary of the final revolutionary Battle of Vertières.

- Robert Perito, Director, USIP Haiti Program

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September 29, 2011- Last week, Haiti's President Michel Martelly and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon discussed the future of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).  The peacekeeping mission in Haiti is up for renewal in October, and increasingly embattled.  In May, a United Nations independent panel linked Haiti's cholera epidemic to peacekeepers from Nepal.  In July, outrage erupted when a video uploaded to the internet captured Uruguayan peacekeepers sexually assaulting an 18-year-old Haitian man.  In a pre-recorded interview, Ban publicly recommended extending MINUSTAH but drawing down the force from 12,200 soldiers and police to pre-earthquake levels of about 9,000.  Martelly told the media that he opposed reducing the peacekeeping force, citing ongoing instability and Haiti's lack of adequate security forces. 

In Haiti, Martelly's new government is finally starting to take shape.  On September 16, the Chamber of Deputies unanimously approved Martelly's third nomination for prime minister, Dr. Gary Conille. The nomination will now be reviewed by the Senate, where it is expected to pass.  A physician and resident coordinator for the United Nations Development Program in Niger, Conille has been praised for his experience but drawn criticism for being too close to the international community.  Meanwhile, Martelly's team is prepared to take some key steps once a government is formed.  Prospective initiatives include providing free schooling to nearly 150,000 students this school year, filling the six vacant Supreme Court positions, establishing the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, and moving the draft criminal procedure code reforms toward adoption.  Martelly's protracted struggle to secure parliamentary approval for his prime minister forecasts some of the political challenges his ambitious legislative agenda will face.

- Robert Perito, Director, USIP Haiti Program

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August 17, 2011 - The initial enthusiasm that greeted President Michel Martelly's inauguration in May has turned to growing alarm. The rejection of Martelly's two nominees for prime minister by the opposition-controlled parliament has left the country without a government and little prospect that one will be in place soon. Observers were perplexed when the president first selected a close friend and political neophyte and then nominated a former repressive justice minister who, Martelly was repeatedly warned, had no chance of confirmation. After noting that it might take six months to nominate another candidate and have that person confirmed, Martelly left on a series of foreign trips to Europe and South America. Critics have asked whether these initial setbacks signaled incompetence rather than simply Martelly's lack of experience.

International anxiety over the appearance of political drift in the face of overwhelming need for action has produced warnings in the press that Haiti needs to change course. On August 14, the Washington Post said in an editorial that to have any hope of success President Martelly needed to "reach out to his adversaries, widen his circle of advisers and broaden his base of support." At the conclusion of its first anniversary meeting on July 22, the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC) called on Haitians to put aside their differences or "Haiti's foreign partners will not be able to help it reach its goals." The Miami Herald counseled editorially that Haiti's leaders should take the IHRC's statement as a pointed warning and get their act together.

Haiti's political stalemate coincided with a spike in the cholera epidemic and torrential rains from Emily, the season's first hurricane. In the tent-and-tarp camps around Port au Prince, efforts have been made to forcibly evict residents with no provision for relocation. The IHRC, which was established to approve reconstruction projects, has become moribund since the Haitian co-chair is a lame duck from the previous government. President Martelly called for the extension of the Commission mandate for an additional year, but international donors have withheld contributions pending a solution to Haiti's political deadlock.

- Robert Perito, Director, USIP Haiti Program

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June 17, 2011 - The peaceful transfer of presidential authority gave Haitians a basis for hope. President Michel Martelly's pragmatic message and his choice of an activist businessman for prime minister reinforced this cautious optimism. Daniel Rouzier, Haiti's prime minister-designate, has a record of achievement in business and philanthropy. He organized E-Power, a private electrical plant, and supervised Food for the Poor, a U.S.-based charity that works in Haiti. Despite Rouzier's lack of political experience, he seems likely to win confirmation from parliament. Rouzier, a devout Catholic, has said publically that he never thought about a political career, but believes serving as prime minister will enable him to serve God and the nation.

President Martelly's assumption of the presidency was followed by a series of actions that have differentiated him from his predecessor whose self-effacing style drew criticism following the earthquake last year. In his first month in office, Martelly has engaged directly on the issues and in response to emergencies. On June 12, Martelly met with the president of the Inter-American Development Bank to review IDB funded projects to ensure they supported the priorities that Martelly set during his campaign. Among the projects discussed was an expansion of universal free education and new housing and jobs programs. On June 7, Martelly put on his boots and went into Cite Soleil to assist victims of extensive flooding caused by early summer downpours. Martelly handed out food and supplies along with members of his new cabinet.

The early rains, which inundated large areas of the capital and caused 25 deaths, highlighted Haiti's lack of preparedness for this year's hurricane season. The rains caused particular hardship for the nearly 700,000 people who remain in temporary shelters and tent encampments in Port au Prince. They also caused a spike in the number of cholera cases when runoff mixed with sewage provided a breeding ground for the disease. Haiti has a history of vulnerability to hurricanes and flooding caused by barren hillsides, clogged drainage ditches and people living in flood plains. Providing emergency shelters and improving public sanitation are among the most critical priorities for Haiti's new government.

- Robert Perito, Director, USIP Haiti Program

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 May 20, 2011 - On May 14, 2011, Michel Martelly was sworn in as Haiti's president on the grounds of the crumpled Presidential Palace. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton led a small coterie of foreign dignitaries, while a crowd of Haitian supporters cheered from beyond the compound's iron fence. In his inaugural address, Martelly repeated his campaign theme of the need for Haitian self-reliance in transforming Haiti from a basket case into an attractive target for foreign investment and tourism.  He also repeated his campaign promises of providing more jobs, universal free education, improved health care and more government services. In a reminder of Haiti's pressing problems, the electricity failed during the ceremony and Martelly was forced to take the oath of office in the dark.

Martelly's first act as president was to name his long time friend and prominent Haitian businessman Daniel-Gerard Rouzier as his candidate for prime minister. Rouzier is a Dartmouth graduate whose business empire includes an automobile dealership and a private electric company. Like Martelly, Rouzier has no political experience. He will face an immediate challenge in winning confirmation from Haiti's newly installed parliament where outgoing President Préval's Unity Party has a comfortable plurality.  U.S.-led international protests forced Haiti's Provisional Election Council to reverse the announced results of 15 parliamentary elections where fraud appeared likely, narrowing the Unity Party's majority in the Senate and plurality in the Chamber of Deputies.

In assessing Préval's accomplishments as president, U.N. Mission Chief Ambassador Edmond Mulet said that history would view Préval's tenure in a positive light. Mulet noted that under Préval, Haiti enjoyed a period of relative political tranquility, the repair of its relations with the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean Community, good relations with both the U.S. and Cuba, and a recovery of Haiti's economy that was cut short by the January 2010 earthquake.  Following the inauguration, the U.N. announced that Mariano Fernandez would replace Mulet as head of the U.N. Mission, adding an additional note of uncertainty to the country's future.  Haitians have noted that former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier has emerged from seclusion despite facing potential charges of corruption and crimes against humanity. Meanwhile, former president Aristide has not been seen publicly since his return to Haiti causing Haitians to wonder about his intentions toward the new government.    

- Robert Perito, Director, USIP Haiti Program

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April 26, 2011 - Last week, Haitian President-elect Michel Martelly met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington.  The warm welcome accorded Martelly reflects his landslide victory in the runoff elections and his commitment to improve the conditions for earthquake victims and the country's poor. Secretary Clinton said she was encouraged by Martelly's emphasis during the presidential campaign on meeting the needs of the Haitian people who suffered a series of setbacks last year.

In Haiti, mounting political challenges await the new president. The U.N., the U.S. and other donors challenged the final results of parliamentary elections after the initial results for a number of races were reversed in favor of President René Preval's ruling Unity Party giving it a majority in the Senate and a plurality in the Chamber of Deputies.  The results were greeted by street violence in several cities that left one person dead. The Provisional Electoral Council announced that it would review the results, delaying the seating of parliament. Since Martelly campaigned as a political outsider, he will have to forge alliances once the parliament takes office.

- Robert Perito, Director, USIP Haiti Program

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March 24, 2011 - Despite some administrative confusion, Haiti 's March 20, presidential runoff election occurred peacefully with a good turnout of voters who said they wanted a "change" from Haiti's chronic poverty and turmoil. Missing were the accusations of fraud, street demonstrations and general chaos that characterized the initial round of voting in November. Pre-election polling gave a slight advantage to popular singer Michel "Sweet Mickey" Martelly over former first lady Mirlande Manigat. The two candidates had similar platforms, supporting improvements in education, housing and government services. The campaign focused on their distinctly different personalities. Preliminary results are due on March 31; final results are expected on April 16.

The election was overshadowed by the return of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide after seven years in exile in South Africa. Aristide arrived in Haiti on March 18, despite a personal appeal from President Obama to South Africa's president to delay Aristide's departure until after the vote. Aristide received a celebratory welcome, proving that he remains popular among Haiti's poor. Aristide publicly criticized the exclusion of his party, Fanmi Lavalas, from the election, but otherwise did not interfere with the voting. It was unclear why Aristide chose to return to Haiti at this time. His claim that he was interested only in promoting education was doubted by both his supporters and opponents.

Haiti's orderly election was welcomed by the U.N., EU and OAS which praised the conduct of the vote and appealed for calm while the ballots were tabulated. Besides the presidency, at stake are seats for seven senators and 77 members of the Chamber of Deputies. Haiti requires a legitimate, competent and assertive government to guide the recovery process after the January 2010 earthquake. 

- Robert Perito, Director, USIP Haiti Program

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