Government & politics — Haiti

• History: Many previous; latest adopted 10 March 1987, with substantial revisions in June 2012; note – the constitution is commonly referred to as the “amended 1987 constitution”
• Amendments: Proposed by the executive branch or by either the Senate or the Chamber of Deputies; consideration of proposed amendments requires support by at least two-thirds majority of both houses; passage requires at least two-thirds majority of the membership present and at least two-thirds majority of the votes cast; approved amendments enter into force after installation of the next president of the republic; constitutional articles on the democratic and republican form of government cannot be amended; amended many times, last in 2012

• President (vacant) head of government: Prime Minister Alix Didier FILS-AIMÉ (
• since 10 November 2024) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president; parliament must ratify the Cabinet and p
• rime minister's governing policy election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible
• for a single non-consecutive term) most recent election date: 20
• November 2016 election results: 2016: Jovenel MOÏSE elected president in first round; percent of vote - Jovenel MOÏSE (PHTK) 55.6%, Jude CELESTIN (LAPEH) 19.6%, Jean-Charles MOÏSE (PPD) 11%, Maryse NARCISSE (FL) 9%; other 4.8% 2011: Michel MARTELLY elected president in second round; percent of vote in second round - Michel MARTELLY (Peasant's Response) 68%, Mirlande MANIGAT (RDNP) 32%
• expected date of next election: elections wer
• e delayed in 2022 and 2023 and have not been rescheduled note: former Prime Minister Ariel HENRY, who had assumed executive responsibilities following the assassination of President MOÏSE on 7 July 2021, resigned on 24 April 2024; a nine-member Presidential Transitional Council, equipped with presidential powers, was sworn in on 25 April 2024 and will remain in place until 7 February 2026

Description

Bicameral legislature or le Corps legislatif ou le Parlement consists of: Senate or le Sénat de la République (30 seats; 0 filled as of January 2023); members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed; members serve 6-year terms (2-term limit) with one-third of the membership renewed every 2 years) Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des députés (119 seats; 0 filled as of January 2023; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed; members serve 4-year terms; no term limits);

Note

when the 2 chambers meet collectively it is known as the National Assembly or L'Assemblée nationale and is convened for specific purposes spelled out in the constitution

Elections

• Senate - last held on 20 November 2016 with runoff on 29 January 2017 (next originally scheduled for 27 October 2019 but postponed until political and civil society actors agree to a consensual process) Chamber of Deputies - last held on 9 August 2015 with runoff on 25 October 2015 and 20 November 2016 (next originally scheduled for 27 October 2019 but postponed until political and civil society actors agree to a consensual process)

Election Results

• - Senate - percent of vote by party - NA
• seats by party - NA;

Composition

• men 10, women 0, percent of women 0% Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA
• seats by party - NA;

Composition

NA

Note

the Senate and Chamber of Deputies as of January 2023 was not functional

• Highest court(s): Supreme Court or Cour de cassation (currently 11 of 12 judges as prescribed by the constitution, 8 of whom were appointed in March 2023); note - Haiti is a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice; Constitutional Court, called for in the 1987 constitution but not yet established; High Court of Justice, for trying high government officials -
• currently not functional Judge selection and term of office: Judges appointed by the president from candidate lists submitted by the Senate of the National Assembly; note - Article 174 of Haiti's constitution states that judges of the Supreme Court are appointed for 10 years, whereas Article 177 states that judges o
• f the Supreme Court are appointed for life Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; magistrate's courts; land, labor,
• and children's courts Note: The Superior Council of the Judiciary or Conseil Superieur du Pouvoir Judiciaire is a 9-member body charged with the administration and oversight of the judicial branch of government

• Alternative League for Haitian Progress and Emancipation (Ligue Alternative pour le Progres et l’Emancipation Haitienne) or LAPEH [Jude CELESTIN]
• Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MCNH or Mochrenha [Luc MESADIEU]
• Christian National Movement for the Reconstruction of Haiti or UNCRH [Jean Chavannes JEUNE]
• Combat of Peasant Workers to Liberate Haiti (Konbit Travaye Peyizan Pou Libere Ayiti) or Kontra Pep La [Jean William JEANTY]
• Convention for Democratic Unity or KID [Evans PAUL]
• Cooperative Action to Rebuild Haiti or KONBA [Jean William JEANTY]
• December 16 Platform or Platfom 16 Desanm [Dr. Gerard BLOT]
• Democratic Alliance Party or ALYANS [Evans PAUL] (coalition includes KID and PPRH)
• Democratic Centers' National Council or CONACED [Osner FEVRY]
• Democratic and Popular Sector (Secteur Democratique et Populaire) or SDP [Nenel CASSY, Andre MICHEL, and Marjorie MICHEL]
• Democratic Unity Convention (Konvansyon Inite Demokratik) or KID [Enold JOSEPH]
• Dessalinian Patriotic and Popular Movement or MOPOD [Jean Andre VICTOR]
• Effort and Solidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP [Joseph JASME]
• Fanmi Lavalas or FL [Maryse NARCISSE and former President Jean Bertrand ARISTIDE]
• Forward (En Avant) [Jerry TARDIEU]
• Fusion of Haitian Social Democrats (Fusion Des Sociaux-Démocrates Haïtiens) or FHSD [Edmonde Supplice BEAUZILE]
• G18 Policy Platform (Plateforme Politique G18) [Joseph WUILSON]
• Haiti in Action (Ayiti An Aksyon Haiti's Action) or AAA [Youri LATORTUE]
• Haitian Tet Kale Party (Parti Haitien Tet Kale) or PHTK [Line Sainphaar BALTHAZAR]
• Independent Movement for National Reconciliation or MIRN [Luc FLEURINORD]
• Lavni Organization or LAVNI [Yves CRISTALIN]
• Lod Demokratik [Jean Renel SENATUS]
• Love Haiti (Renmen Ayiti) or RA [Jean Henry CEANT]
• MTV Ayiti [Reginald BOULOS]
• National Consortium of Haitian Political Parties (Consortium National des Partis Politiques Haitiens) or CNPPH [Jeantel JOSEPH]
• National Shield Network (Reseau Bouclier National) [Victor PROPHANE and Garry BODEAU]
• Organization of the People's Struggle (Oganizasyon Pep Kap Lite) or OPL [Edgard LEBLANC]
• Patriotic Unity (Inite Patriyotik) or Inite [Sorel YACINTHE and Levaillant Louis JEUNE]
• Platform Pitit Desalin (Politik Pitit Dessalines) or PPD [Jean-Charles MOISE]
• Political Party for Us All or Bridge (Pont) or Pou Nou Tout [Jean Marie CHERESTAL]
• Popular Patriotic Dessalinien Movement (Mouvement Patriotique Populaire Dessalinien) or MOPOD [Jean Andre VICTOR]
• Rally of Progressive National Democrats (Rassemblement des Democrates Nationaux Progressistes) or RDNP [Eric JEAN-BAPTISTE]
• Respe (Respect) [Charles Henry BAKER]
• Women and Families Political Parties (Defile Pati Politik Fanm Ak Fanmi) [Marie Rebecca GUILLAUME]

• No Citizenship by descent only: At least one parent must
• Yes Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

ACP, AOSIS, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Chief of Mission

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Patricia AGUILERA (since 28 September 2023) Embassy: Tabarre 41, Route de Tabarre, Port-au-Prince Mailing address: 3400 Port-au-Prince Place, Washington, DC 20521-3400

Telephone

[011] (509) 2229-8000

FAX

[011] (509) 2229-8027

Email address and website

• acspap@state.gov
• https://ht.usembassy.gov/

Chief of Mission

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Louis Harold JOSEPH (since 15 May 2023)

Chancery

2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Telephone

[1] (202) 332-4090

FAX

[1] (202) 745-7215

Email address and website

• amb.washington@diplomatie.ht
• https://www.haiti.org/

Consulate(s) general

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Orlando (FL), New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico)