conventional long form: Republic of Haiti
conventional short form: Haiti
local long form: Republique d'Haiti
local short form: Haiti

HA

elected government

Port-au-Prince

9 departments (departements, singular -
departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand'Anse, Nord, Nord-Est,
Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est

1 January 1804 (from France)

Independence Day, 1 January (1804)

approved March 1987; suspended June 1988, with most
articles reinstated March 1989; in October 1991, government claimed to
be observing the constitution; return to constitutional rule, October
1994

based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: President Rene Garcia PREVAL (since 7 February 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard ALEXIS (since NA
March 1999); ALEXIS was appointed by President PREVAL, filling the
post that had been vacant since the resignation of Rosny SMARTH in
June 1997
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the
president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 17 December 1995 (next to be held by December
2000); prime minister appointed by the president, ratified by the
Congress
election results: Rene Garcia PREVAL elected president; percent of
vote - Rene Garcia PREVAL 88%, Leon JEUNE 2.5%, Victor BENOIT 2.3%

bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale
consists of the Senate (27 seats; members serve six-year terms;
one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies (83
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 25 June 1995, with reruns on 13 August
and runoffs on 17 September, and an election for nine seats 6 April
1997 but results were disputed; next election for two-thirds of Senate
postponed until May 2000; Chamber of Deputies - last held 25 June
1995, with reruns on 13 August and runoffs on 17 September (next
Senate and Chamber of Deputies elections postponed until May 2000)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - OPL 7, FL-leaning 7, independents 3, vacant 10; Chamber of
Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - OPL 32,
antineoliberal bloc 24, minor parties and independents 22, vacant 5

Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation

Alliance for the Liberation and
Advancement of Haiti or ALAH ; Assembly of
Progressive National Democrats or RDNP ; Confederation
for Democratic Unity or KID ; Democratic Consultation
Group coalition or ESPACE  composed of the following
parties: Confederation for Democratic Unity KONAKOM, PANPRA,
Generation 2004, and Haiti Can or Ayiti Kapab; Generation 2004 [Claude
ROUMAIN]; Haiti Can or Ayiti Kapab ; Haitian Christian
Democratic Party or PDCH ; Haitian Democratic Party or
PADEMH ; Lavalas Family or FL ;
Mobilization for National Development or MDN ;
Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN ; Movement
for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti or MIDH ;
Movement for the Organization of the Country or MOP [Gesner COMEAU and
Jean MOLIERE]; National Alliance for Democracy and Progress [leader
NA]; National Congress of Democratic Movements or KONAKOM [Victor
BENOIT]; National Front for Change and Democracy or FNCD [Evans PAUL
and Turneb DELPE]; National Progressive Revolutionary Party or PANPRA
; Open the Gate Party or PLB ;
Struggling People's Organization or OPL ; Union
of Patriotic Democrats or UPD

Autonomous Haitian Workers or
CATH; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of Workers
Trade Unions or FOS; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye Peasants
Movement or MPP; Popular Organizations Gathering Power or PROP; Roman
Catholic Church

ACCT, ACP, Caricom
(observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU,
LAES, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Louis Harold
JOSEPH
chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:  (202) 332-4090
FAX:  (202) 745-7215
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Juan
(Puerto Rico)

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affairs Les ALEXANDER
to be temporary chief of mission until new ambassador is confirmed
embassy: 5 Harry Truman Boulevard, Port-au-Prince
mailing address: P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince
telephone:  22-0354, 22-0368, 22-0200, 22-0612
FAX:  23-1641

two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red
with a centered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which
contains a palm tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll
bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength)