January 2015 may be a crucial time for Haiti and the evolution of the government. For those of you not familiar with Haitian politics, here is a brief summary from Wikipedia:
The Government of Haiti consists of a semi-presidential republic, 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.
The National Assembly of Haiti (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 by popular vote for four-year terms. The Senate consists of thirty members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, with one third elected every two years.
The last Senate elections were held on 28 November 2010 with run-off elections on 20 March 2011. The following Senate election, for one third of the seats, was to be held in 2012 and the second in 2014 but neither were called. The last election of the Chamber of Deputies was held on 28 November 2010 with run-off elections on 20 March 2011. The next regular election of Deputies was to be held in 2014.
From (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/haiti/politics.htm)
Because no elections have been held, Haiti faced the prospect that President Martelly will have to govern by decree starting in January 2015. The terms of two-thirds of Senate members and the entire lower chamber of Haiti's parliament expire 12 January 2015.
After eight days of consultations, a presidential commission delivered a report 11 December 2014 recommending Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe step down. The commission also called for resignations before Christmas of the president of the Supreme Court and the current members of Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council. Haiti's prime minister resigned 14 December 2014 after violent anti-government protests. Laurent Lamothe said he was leaving "with a sense of accomplishment." Protesters had called for President Michel Martelly and Lamothe both to resign.
On 21 December 2014 Haitian Health Minister Florence Duperval Guillaume was named interim prime minister to replace Laurent Lamothe. On 26 December 2014 President Michel Martelly picked veteran politician and former mayor of Port-au-Prince Evans Paul to be the next prime minister. Paul took over from Florence Duperval Guillaume, who was named interim prime minister as a temporary replacement for Laurent Lamothe.
The president serves a five-year term and may not serve consecutive terms. The president may only have two non-sequential terms.
So where does this leave the people of Haiti on the 5th anniversary of the earthquake?
It leaves them in great need of global support. Creating a democracy is not an easy process. Humans evolve slowly despite the best intentions of leaders. Throw in more human characteristics especially those affected by power and money and the process can often go awry.
Now more than ever, Haiti and her people need our support to get through these trying times. The past can reflect poorly and sway our emotions, but it doesn't change the fact that millions of farmers and their families are still struggling everyday to survive and hanging on to shreds of hope for the future. Our solidarity can help keep that hope alive. The world's embrace after the earthquake helped so many rekindle hope for Haiti's future. That Hope grew to create a new foundation for Haiti's rebirth. Five years later, so much has improved. There is still a lot of work to do, So now more than ever, Haiti needs to be in our thoughts and our show of support needs to be strong.
We're not saying make donations to a potentially unstable government, but rather support Haitian businesses. Help Haitian families help themselves by buying Haitian. Drink Haitian coffee, eat Haitian mangoes, buy Haitian art... be creative in your support especially as the 5th anniversary of the quake approaches.
JANUARY. 12th, remember the event, honor the victims, remember the survivors, think Haitian, buy Haitian and send a message of HOPE.
Drink Haitian-Drink Deliberately
JANUARY 12, 2015
The Government of Haiti consists of a semi-presidential republic, 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.
The National Assembly of Haiti (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 by popular vote for four-year terms. The Senate consists of thirty members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, with one third elected every two years.
The last Senate elections were held on 28 November 2010 with run-off elections on 20 March 2011. The following Senate election, for one third of the seats, was to be held in 2012 and the second in 2014 but neither were called. The last election of the Chamber of Deputies was held on 28 November 2010 with run-off elections on 20 March 2011. The next regular election of Deputies was to be held in 2014.
From (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/haiti/politics.htm)
Because no elections have been held, Haiti faced the prospect that President Martelly will have to govern by decree starting in January 2015. The terms of two-thirds of Senate members and the entire lower chamber of Haiti's parliament expire 12 January 2015.
After eight days of consultations, a presidential commission delivered a report 11 December 2014 recommending Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe step down. The commission also called for resignations before Christmas of the president of the Supreme Court and the current members of Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council. Haiti's prime minister resigned 14 December 2014 after violent anti-government protests. Laurent Lamothe said he was leaving "with a sense of accomplishment." Protesters had called for President Michel Martelly and Lamothe both to resign.
On 21 December 2014 Haitian Health Minister Florence Duperval Guillaume was named interim prime minister to replace Laurent Lamothe. On 26 December 2014 President Michel Martelly picked veteran politician and former mayor of Port-au-Prince Evans Paul to be the next prime minister. Paul took over from Florence Duperval Guillaume, who was named interim prime minister as a temporary replacement for Laurent Lamothe.
The president serves a five-year term and may not serve consecutive terms. The president may only have two non-sequential terms.
So where does this leave the people of Haiti on the 5th anniversary of the earthquake?
It leaves them in great need of global support. Creating a democracy is not an easy process. Humans evolve slowly despite the best intentions of leaders. Throw in more human characteristics especially those affected by power and money and the process can often go awry.
Now more than ever, Haiti and her people need our support to get through these trying times. The past can reflect poorly and sway our emotions, but it doesn't change the fact that millions of farmers and their families are still struggling everyday to survive and hanging on to shreds of hope for the future. Our solidarity can help keep that hope alive. The world's embrace after the earthquake helped so many rekindle hope for Haiti's future. That Hope grew to create a new foundation for Haiti's rebirth. Five years later, so much has improved. There is still a lot of work to do, So now more than ever, Haiti needs to be in our thoughts and our show of support needs to be strong.
We're not saying make donations to a potentially unstable government, but rather support Haitian businesses. Help Haitian families help themselves by buying Haitian. Drink Haitian coffee, eat Haitian mangoes, buy Haitian art... be creative in your support especially as the 5th anniversary of the quake approaches.
JANUARY. 12th, remember the event, honor the victims, remember the survivors, think Haitian, buy Haitian and send a message of HOPE.
Drink Haitian-Drink Deliberately
JANUARY 12, 2015
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