Government of Haiti

The government of Haiti is a semi-presidential republic, a multi-party system wherein the President of Haiti is head of state elected directly by popular elections. The Prime Minister acts as head of government and is appointed by the President, chosen from the majority party in the National Assembly. 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 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.

As of early 2025, criminal gangs controlled at least 85% of the capital and its metropolitan area and had expanded into key regions. Since 2021, the country’s government has been led by a prime minister appointed by the presidential transitional council, which failed in its attempt to call new elections and to contain the collapse of the country’s democratic institutions.

Government

The government of Haiti is a semi-presidential republic, a multiparty system wherein the President of Haiti is head of state elected directly by popular elections. The Prime Minister acts as head of government and is appointed by the President, chosen from the majority party in the National Assembly. 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 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 Haiti on 29 March 1987. The current president is Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, acting since February 2026.

In 2010, there were 7,000 people in the Haitian National Police.

The Institute for the Protection of National Heritage has preserved 33 historical monuments and the historic center of Cap-Haïtien.

The legal system for torts is based on a version of the Napoleonic Code.

In 2013, the annual budget was US$1 billion.

History

19th century

Jean-Jacques Dessalines was the first leader of free and independent Haiti under the 1805 constitution. He was initially regarded as governor-general, then later called himself Emperor Jacques I of Haiti. His regime lasted two and half years (1804-1806) and ended with his assassination by disaffected leaders of his administration. In 1806, Constituent Assembly created a new constitution and appointed Henri Christophe to a four-year term as President of the Republic of Haiti. The following year, the Battle of Sibert ended with the division of Haiti into the southern Republic of Haiti under Alexandre Pétion and the northern State of Haiti under Christophe. In 1818, Pétion died of a fever and Jean-Pierre Boyer, Chief of the Presidential Guard, was appointed President-for-Life of the Republic of Haiti. After Christophe committed suicide in 1820, Boyer promulgates the Republican Constitution in Christophe's northern state. This resulted in the unification of northern and southern Haiti. In 1822, Boyer arrives in Santo Domingo and declares control over the entire island of Hispaniola. Under Boyer, King Charles X of France signs an ordinance which conditionally recognizes Haiti's independence and imposes a 150 million franc indemnity on the Haitian government. This debt plagued Haiti's economy for generations. in 1843, President Boyer was overthrown and fled to Paris in exile. The 1843 Constitution was established and Charles Riviere-Hérard was appointed President of Haiti. Under Riviere-Hèrard, the Dominican Republic declared its independence from Haiti.

20th century

In 1915, the United States Marines, led by Admiral William B. Caperton, entered Port-au-Prince and began the United States occupation of Haiti. The U.S. took over the collection of revenues and banks in Haiti for 19 years. American forces withdraw from Haiti in 1934 marking the end of the U.S. occupation. In 1957, François Duvalier, also known as "Papa Doc", was elected President of Haiti. In 1964, he declared himself president for life and established that his son, Jean-Claude Duvalier, known as "Baby Doc", would succeed him. During their regime, opposition to the government was not tolerated; thus, the Duvaliers used violence and terror to suppress the masses, killing about 30,000 Haitians. Finally, in 1986, a series of uprisings forced Baby Doc to flee Haiti for France. The Duvalier family stole millions of dollars during their administration, leaving Haiti in extreme debt today.

21st century

On February 29, 2004, a coup d'état led by the Group of 184 ousted the popularly elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, allegedly with the assistance of the French and United States governments; U.S. and French soldiers were on the ground in Haiti at the time, recently arrived (See controversy).

The first elections since the overthrow were held on February 8, 2006 to elect a new president. René Préval was declared to have won with over 50 percent of the vote. In 2008, Parliament voted to dismiss President Préval's prime minister following severe rioting over food prices. His selected replacement for the post was rejected by Parliament, throwing the country into a prolonged period without a government.

Today

Haiti is officially a semi-presidential republic. However, sources such as the Democracy Index have described Haiti as a hybrid or authoritarian regime in practice. Suffrage is universal, for adults over 18.

The constitution was rewritten by the United States to model those of the United States and of France. It was approved in March 1987, but it was completely suspended from June 1988 to March 1989 and was only fully reinstated in October 1994.

In May 2024, United Nations agencies reported that criminal groups control around 85 percent of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital and its metropolitan area. Having rapidly expanded into previously secure areas of the capital, the gangs have spread into key regions such as Haiti's agricultural areas the Ouest and Artibonite departments. The last presidential election was held on 20 November 2016.

Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development
Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Ministry of Women's Affairs and Women's Rights
Ministry of Culture and Communication
Ministry of Defense
Ministry of Economy and Finance
Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training
Ministry of Environment
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship
Ministry of Haitians Living Abroad
Ministry of Public Health and Population
Ministry of Youth, Sports and Civic Action
Ministry of Interior and Territorial Communities
Ministry of Justice and Public Security
Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation
Ministry of Public Works, Transportation and Communications
Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor
Ministry of Tourism

Legislative branch

The bicameral 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 but was not 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 is to be held in 2014.