Haiti: Successful elections (full text)
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Immediate context
The UN's peacekeeping mission, MINUSTAH, provided support to the Haitian police in the organisation and security of the April 29 elections, in which at least 300,000 voters in 25 communities voted, while continuing its ongoing operations to reduce gun crime and gang violence. Full legislative elections were held in April 2006 but it was widely feared that increasing gang violence threatened the stability of the government and democratic processes. In October 2006 the USA had partially lifted an arms embargo imposed in 1991 in order to allow the government to purchase weapons for the police force in an attempt to reduce rising levels of gun crime.
Reaction and outlook
US President George W. Bush was due to welcome President René Preval of Haiti to the White House on May 9, following the successful completion of the elections. The USA is Haiti's largest trading partner and its largest aid donor. It was widely hoped that the meeting on May 9 between Presidents Bush and Preval would enhance the prospects for a more prosperous and stable future for Haiti, where more than 75 per cent of the population were living in abject poverty.
The EU lifted a block on €233 million (US$1.00=0.7323 euros as at April 27, 2007) in aid for Haiti, it was reported on April 24. The funds were intended for infrastructure improvement projects and had been frozen following fears over the stability of the country. Additional funds would be made available by the EU if improvements in the security situation became apparent. Haiti's foreign relations minister, Jean Reynald Clerisme, expressing gratitude to the EU, said that Haitians "would do everything possible to make sure we do not disappoint you".
Historical context
Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Hispaniola in 1492 and Spanish colonists soon defeated and drove to extinction the indigenous population. French settlers began to colonise the territory in 1659 and in 1697 Spain ceded the western part of Hispaniola (Haiti) to France. (The remaining eastern part eventually became the Dominican Republic.) In 1791 a slave uprising led to further unrest and to fighting between Spain, Britain, and France for control of Haiti. François Dominique Toussaint-L’Ouverture in 1794 led another slave rebellion against British and Spanish landowners and under French protection became the ruler of Haiti. He was forcibly retired by the French in 1802, who wanted to re-establish slavery, and died in custody in 1803. However, forces loyal to Toussaint L’Ouverture defeated the French in November 2003 and on January 1, 1804, Haiti became independent under Gen. Dessalines, who declared himself emperor. Dessalines was assassinated in 1806 and in 1807 civil war between the two main ethnic groups broke out. The civil conflict persisted until Pierre Boyer reunited Haiti and became President in 1820. In 1838 France recognised Haitian independence but only after having demanded financial compensation, forcing Haiti to take out large loans. (In 2003 President Aristide called on France to repay this money, but the French authorities declined, citing the amount of aid France had granted to the country since 1994.) Boyer died in 1843 and during the subsequent decades numerous rebellions were sponsored by foreign, mainly German, traders. The USA recognised Haitian independence in 1862 but on July 28, 1915, following decades of instability and increasing inter-ethnic unrest, invaded and occupied the country. A fierce resistance movement to US occupation developed, its leader, Charlemagne Peralt, being killed by US marines in 1919.
US troops eventually withdrew in 1934 but the USA retained financial control over Haiti until 1947. Instability persisted until 1957 when François "Papa Doc" Duvalier was elected President, supported by his notorious private army, the Tontons Macoutes. During his brutal and oppressive regime, tens of thousands of Haitians were killed. In 1971, "Papa Doc"'s son, Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier became President for life following his father’s death. He was eventually ousted and the Tontons Macoutes officially disbanded in 1986. Presidential elections were held in 1988 but instability persisted, with coups in June 1988 and September 1988. In 1990 the widely respected Jean Bertrand-Aristide was democratically elected but was himself ousted in a coup in 1991. After US and UN military intervention, he was returned to power in 1994. He handed over the presidency in 1996 to René Preval in the country's first peaceful transfer of power.
Aristide was again elected president in 2000 but by January 2004 opposition to him had become widespread and violent and he was driven from office and fled into exile in February 2004. A UN peacekeeping force, MINUSTAH, entered the country in June 2004 but armed gangs became increasingly violent, threatening the stability of the country.
