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Do not fill this in! ==Government and politics== {{Main|Politics of Haiti}} [[File:Jovenel Moise.jpg|thumb|right|[[Jovenel Moïse]] was the [[President of Haiti]] from 7 February 2017 until his [[Assassination of Jovenel Moïse|assassination on 7 July 2021]].]] The government of Haiti is a [[semi-presidential system|semi-presidential]] republic, a multiparty system wherein the [[president of Haiti]] is head of state and elected directly by popular [[elections in Haiti|elections]] held every five years.<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica - Haiti"/><ref>{{cite web|title=1987 Constitution of the Republic of Haiti|url=http://pdba.georgetown.edu/constitutions/haiti/haiti1987.html|publisher=Georgetown University|access-date=9 July 2011|at=Article 134}}</ref> The [[prime minister of Haiti]] acts as head of government and is appointed by the president, chosen from the majority party in the National Assembly.<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica - Haiti"/> 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 [[Senate (Haiti)|Senate]] (Sénat) and the [[Chamber of Deputies (Haiti)|Chamber of Deputies]] (Chambre des Députés).<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica - Haiti"/><ref name="CIA World Factbook – Haiti"/> The government is organized [[unitary state|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.<ref name="CIA World Factbook – Haiti"/> Haitian politics have been contentious: since independence, Haiti has suffered 32 [[List of revolutions and coups d'état in Haiti|coups]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1741707&ps=rs |title=Haiti Starts Over, Once Again |author=Michele Kelemen |newspaper=Npr.org |date=2 March 2004 |access-date=24 July 2013}}</ref> Haiti is the only country in the Western Hemisphere to undergo a successful [[Haitian Revolution|slave revolution]]; however, a long history of oppression by dictators such as [[François Duvalier]] and his son [[Jean-Claude Duvalier]] has markedly affected the nation. Since the end of the Duvalier era Haiti has been transitioning to a democratic system.<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica - Haiti"/> === Administrative divisions === {{Main|Administrative divisions of Haiti}} Administratively, Haiti is divided into ten [[Departments of Haiti|departments]].<ref name="CIA World Factbook – Haiti"/> The departments are listed below, with the departmental capital cities in parentheses. [[File:Haiti, administrative divisions - Nmbrs - colored.svg|thumb|upright=1.6|Departments of Haiti]] # [[Nord-Ouest (department)|Nord-Ouest]] ([[Port-de-Paix]]) # [[Nord (Haitian department)|Nord]] ([[Cap-Haïtien]]) # [[Nord-Est (department)|Nord-Est]] ([[Fort-Liberté]]) # [[Artibonite (department)|Artibonite]] ([[Gonaïves]]) # [[Centre (department)|Centre]] ([[Hinche]]) # [[Ouest (department)|Ouest]] ([[Port-au-Prince]]) # [[Grand'Anse (department)|Grand'Anse]] ([[Jérémie]]) # [[Nippes]] ([[Miragoâne]]) # [[Sud (department)|Sud]] ([[Les Cayes]]) # [[Sud-Est (department)|Sud-Est]] ([[Jacmel]]) The departments are further divided into 42 [[Arrondissements of Haiti|arrondissements]], 145 [[Communes of Haiti|communes]] and 571 [[communal section]]s. These serve as, respectively, second- and third-level administrative divisions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lenouvelliste.com/lenouvelliste/article/148647/Creation-de-cinq-nouvelles-communes-par-decret-presidentiel |title=Création de cinq nouvelles communes par décret présidentiel |editor=Olivier, Louis-Joseph |date=14 August 2015 |work=Le Nouvelliste |access-date=17 March 2016 |language=fr |archive-date=23 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323033146/http://lenouvelliste.com/lenouvelliste/article/148647/Creation-de-cinq-nouvelles-communes-par-decret-presidentiel |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-14858-haiti-politic-5-new-communes-in-haiti.html |title=Haïti – Politique: 5 nouvelles communes en Haïti |date=16 August 2015 |work=Haiti Libre |access-date=17 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://haiti-reference.com/pages/plan/geographie-et-tourisme/divisions-territoriales/ |title=7300.- Divisions territoriales |date=17 August 2015 |publisher=Haiti-Référence |access-date=17 March 2016|language=fr}}</ref> ===Foreign relations=== {{Main|Foreign relations of Haiti}} Haiti is a member of a wide range of international and regional organizations, such as the United Nations, CARICOM, [[Community of Latin American and Caribbean States]], [[International Monetary Fund]], [[Organisation of American States]], {{Lang|fr|[[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]]|italic=no}}, [[OPANAL]] and the [[World Trade Organization]].<ref name="CIA World Factbook – Haiti"/> In February 2012, Haiti signaled it would seek to upgrade its observer status to full associate member status of the [[African Union]] (AU).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-4863-haiti-diplomacy-haiti-becomes-a-member-of-the-african-union.html |title=Haiti becomes a member of the African Union |publisher=Haitilibre.com |date=2 February 2012 |access-date=24 July 2013}}</ref> The AU was reported to be planning to upgrade Haiti's status from observer to associate at its June 2013 summit<ref name="haitics">{{cite web |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/Latin-America-Monitor/2012/0229/Long-distance-relationship-Haiti-s-bid-to-join-the-African-Union |title=Long distance relationship: Haiti's bid to join the African Union |last=Sampson |first= Ovetta |work=[[The Christian Science Monitor]] |date=29 February 2012 |access-date=1 March 2012}}</ref> but the application had still not been ratified by May 2016.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/despite-reports-haiti-not-joining-the-african-union/|title=Despite reports, Haiti not joining the African Union|work=PBS NewsHour|access-date=5 April 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> ===Military=== {{Main|Defence Force of Haiti}} Haiti has a strong military history dating to the pre-independence struggle. The [[Armée Indigène|Indigenous Army]] is essential in the construction of the state the management of land and public finances. Up to the 20th century, every Haitian president was an officer in the army. During the US intervention, the army was remodeled as Gendarmerie d'Haiti and later on as Force Armée d'Haiti (FAdH). In the early 1990s, the army was unconstitutionally decommissioned and replaced by the Haitian National Police (PNH). In 2018, Président Jovenel Moise reactivated the FAdH. Haiti's Ministry of Defense is the main body of the armed forces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.md.gouv.ht/mission.php|title=Missions et Attributions du Ministère de la Défense|publisher=Ministere de la Defense|access-date=21 October 2014|archive-date=17 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117025602/https://www.md.gouv.ht/mission.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> The former [[Armed Forces of Haiti|Haitian Armed Forces]] were demobilized in 1995; however, [[Defence Force of Haiti|efforts to reconstitute it are currently underway]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/09/16/haiti-army-again/2822823/ |title=Haiti a step closer to having army again |newspaper=USA Today |access-date=29 January 2014 |date=16 September 2013}}</ref> The current defense force for Haiti is the [[Haitian National Police]], which has a highly trained SWAT team, and works alongside the [[Haitian Coast Guard]]. In 2010, the [[Haitian National Police]] force numbered 7,000.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sadowski |first= Dennis |title=Hope and struggles remain in Haiti six months after earthquake |newspaper=Florida Catholic |location=Orlando, Florida |pages=A7 |date=6–19 August 2010 }}</ref> As of 2023, the Haitian army includes one infantry battalion that is in the process of being formed, with 700 personnel.<ref>{{Cite book |author=IISS |author-link=International Institute for Strategic Studies |date=2023 |title=The Military Balance 2023 |publisher=International Institute for Strategic Studies |page=402 }}</ref> ===Law enforcement and crime=== {{Main|Haitian National Police|Crime in Haiti}} [[File:Members of the Haitian National Police Force marching band stand at parade.jpg|300px|thumb|Members of the Haitian National Police Force marching band stand at parade]] The legal system is based on a modified version of the [[Napoleonic Code]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/world/haiti.htm |title=Haitian Law |publisher=Jurist.law.pitt.edu |access-date=24 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630063029/http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/world/haiti.htm |archive-date=30 June 2013 }}</ref><ref name="Encylopedia Britannica - Haiti"/> Haiti has consistently ranked among the most corrupt countries in the world on the [[Corruption Perceptions Index]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6120522.stm |title=Haiti tops world corruption table |work=BBC News |date=6 November 2006 |access-date=24 July 2013}}</ref> According to a 2006 report by the [[Corruption Perceptions Index]], there is a strong correlation between corruption and poverty in Haiti. The nation ranked first of all countries surveyed for levels of perceived domestic corruption.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://transparency.ie/content/2006-corruption-perceptions-index-reinforces-link-between-poverty-and-corruption-and-shows-w |title=2006 Corruption Perceptions Index reinforces link between poverty and corruption |publisher=Transparency International |date=6 November 2006 |access-date=15 January 2009}}</ref> It is estimated that President [[Jean-Claude Duvalier|"Baby Doc" Duvalier]], his wife [[Michèle Bennett|Michele]], and their agents stole US $504 million from the treasury between 1971 and 1986.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/bribe/2009/05/haiti-the-long-road-to-recovery.html |title=Haiti: The Long Road to Recovery, Public Broadcasting Service |author=Siri Schubert |publisher=Pbs.org |date=22 May 2009 |access-date=24 July 2013}}</ref> Similarly, after the Haitian Army folded in 1995, the Haitian National Police (HNP) gained sole power of authority on the Haitian citizens. Many Haitians as well as observers believe that this monopolized power could have given way to a corrupt police force.<ref name="Haiti: Police and Law Enforcement">{{cite web|url=http://www.gsdrc.org/document-library/haiti-police-and-law-enforcement/|title=Haiti: Police and Law Enforcement|date=2010|access-date=18 June 2017|publisher=GSDRC|archive-date=8 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170608090305/http://www.gsdrc.org/document-library/haiti-police-and-law-enforcement|url-status=dead}}</ref> Some media outlets alleged that millions were stolen by former president [[Jean-Bertrand Aristide]].<ref name="American Spectator Vol 1994">{{cite journal|title=Aristide Development|journal=American Spectator|volume=27|issue=7|date=1 July 1994}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.radiokiskeya.com/RapportUCREF.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060501062854/http://www.radiokiskeya.com/RapportUCREF.pdf |archive-date=1 May 2006 |title=Rapport UCREF |access-date=24 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/world/2005/10/31/6524/Probe-of-Aristide-administration-finds-evidence-of-embezzlement |title=Probe of Aristide administration finds evidence of embezzlement |work=Dominican Today |date=31 October 2005 |access-date=5 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304200037/http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/world/2005/10/31/6524/Probe-of-Aristide-administration-finds-evidence-of-embezzlement |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB117124344952105351 |title=The Haiti File |author=Mary Anastasia O'Grady |publisher=Online.wsj.com |date=12 February 2007 |access-date=24 July 2013}}</ref> The BBC also described [[pyramid scheme]]s, in which Haitians lost hundreds of millions in 2002, as the "only real economic initiative" of the Aristide years.<ref name="basketcase">{{cite news |last=Schifferes |first=Steve |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3522155.stm |title=Haiti: An economic basket-case |work=BBC News |date=1 March 2004 |access-date=24 July 2013}}</ref> Conversely, according to the 2013 [[United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime]] ([[UNODC]]) report, murder rates (10.2 per 100,000) are far ''below'' the regional average (26 per 100,000); less than {{sfrac|1|4}} that of Jamaica (39.3 per 100,000) and nearly {{sfrac|1|2}} that of the Dominican Republic (22.1 per 100,000), making it among the safer countries in the region.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/press/releases/2014/April/some-437000-people-murdered-worldwide-in-2012-according-to-new-unodc-study.html |title=Some 437,000 people murdered worldwide in 2012, according to new UNODC study |access-date=12 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unodc.org/documents/gsh/pdfs/2014_GLOBAL_HOMICIDE_BOOK_web.pdf |title=Global Study on Homicide |year=2013 |publisher=UNODC |access-date=20 April 2015}}</ref> In large part, this is due to the country's ability to fulfil a pledge by increasing its national police yearly by 50%, a four-year initiative that was started in 2012. In addition to the yearly recruits, the Haitian National Police (HNP) has been using innovative technologies to crack down on crime. A notable bust in recent years{{When|date=March 2017}} led to the dismantlement of the largest kidnapping ring in the country with the use of an advanced software program developed by a [[United States Military Academy|West Point]]-trained Haitian official that proved to be so effective that it has led to its foreign advisers to make inquiries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-Haiti-among-safest-destinations-in-the-Americas%252C-say-recent-studies-14006.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130111101726/http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-Haiti-among-safest-destinations-in-the-Americas%2C-say-recent-studies-14006.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 January 2013 |title=Haiti among safest destinations in the Americas, say recent studies |work=Caribbean News Now |date=7 January 2013 |access-date=20 April 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://baltimorepostexaminer.com/haiti-earthquake-fails-to-deter-hotel-boom/2013/06/22 |title=Haiti earthquake fails to deter hotel boom |editor=Luxner, Larry |work=Baltimore Post-Examiner |date=22 June 2013 |access-date=20 April 2015}}</ref> In 2010, the [[New York City Police Department]] (NYPD) sent a team of officers to Haiti to assist in the rebuilding of its police force with special training in investigative techniques, anti-kidnapping strategies and community outreach. It has also helped the HNP set up a police unit in [[Delmas, Ouest|Delmas]], a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/nation/2014/11/17/19200343/ |agency=Associated Press|title=NYPD officers train Haitian police |work=USA Today |date=17 November 2014 |access-date=20 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="USAID">{{cite web |url=http://www.usaid.gov/haiti/governance-rule-law-and-security |title=Haiti: governance, Rule of Law, and Security |publisher=USAID |access-date=20 April 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426002122/http://www.usaid.gov/haiti/governance-rule-law-and-security |archive-date=26 April 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first1=Sean|last1=Gardiner|accessdate=28 July 2021|title=NYPD Set to Aid Haitian Cops|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704271804575405632390017998|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=3 August 2010|issn=0099-9660|via=wsj.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|accessdate=28 July 2021|title=NYPD Answering Calls for Help in Haiti|date=5 April 2014 |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nypd-officers-training-police-port-au-prince-haiti-earthquake-devastation-violence/1021929/}}</ref> In 2012 and 2013, 150 HNP officers received specialized training funded by the US government, which also contributed to the infrastructure and communications support by upgrading radio capacity and constructing new police stations from the most violent-prone neighborhoods of [[Cité Soleil]] and [[Grande Ravine]] in Port-au-Prince to the new northern industrial park at [[Caracol, Nord-Est|Caracol]].<ref name="USAID" /> === Haitian penitentiary system === Port-au-Prince [[Prison|penitentiary]] is home to half of Haiti's prisoners. The prison has a capacity of 1,200 [[Detention (imprisonment)|detainees]] but {{as of|2017|November|lc=y}} the penitentiary was obliged to keep 4,359 detainees, a 363% occupancy level.<ref name="auto">{{Cite news |url=https://apnews.com/a43ce17acfd0425cb2af90a1133a8418 |title=Malnutrition killing inmates in Haiti jails |work=apnews.com |first=David |last=McFadden |date=20 February 2017 |access-date=2 January 2020}}</ref> The inability to receive sufficient funds has caused deadly cases of [[malnutrition]], combined with the tight living conditions, increases the risk of infectious diseases such as [[tuberculosis]].<ref name="auto" /> Haitian law states that once arrested, one must go before a judge within 48 hours; however, this is very rare. In an interview with ''[[Unreported World]]'', the prison governor stated that around 529 detainees were never sentenced, and there are 3,830 detainees who are in prolonged detained trial detention. Therefore, 80% are not convicted.<ref>{{Citation|last=Unreported World|title=Haiti's prison from hell {{!}} Unreported World|date=30 November 2017|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwE_uUgomd0|access-date=30 March 2018}}</ref> Unless families are able to provide the necessary funds for inmates to appear before a judge there is a very slim chance the inmate would have a trial, on average, within 10 years.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/02/20/living-hell-officials-alarmed-by-upsurge-inmates-dying-in-haiti-prisons.html|title=Living hell: Officials alarmed by upsurge of inmates dying in Haiti prisons|date=20 February 2017|work=Fox News|access-date=30 March 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> In confined living spaces for 22–23 hours a day, inmates are not provided with latrines and are forced to [[Defecation|defecate]] into plastic bags. These conditions were considered inhumane by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in 2008.<ref name="prison">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39034992|title=Haitian prison rife with malnutrition|date=21 February 2017|work=BBC News|access-date=30 March 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref> On 3 March 2024, armed gangs stormed the main prison in Port-au-Prince and around 3700 inmates escaped, while 12 people were killed.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-68462851 | title=Haiti violence: Haiti gangs demand PM resign after mass jailbreak | work=BBC News | date=3 March 2024 }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. 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