All Articles Tagged "Haitian politics"
Haiti Has Birther Issues Too
(Time) — Does Haitian President-elect Michel Martelly, who is set to be inaugurated on Saturday, May 14, have his own “birthers” to contend with? In recent weeks the former Carnival singer, who won Haiti’s runoff election on March 20 by a landslide, has felt compelled to answer rumors that he has U.S. citizenship – which would effectively make him ineligible to be Haiti’s President. In recent days a bogus U.S. passport has even surfaced on the Internet that purports to be Martelly’s. The Haitian-born Martelly, 50, has flatly denied the claims and says the speculation is part of a plot reminiscent of U.S. “birthers,” who oppose President Obama and stubbornly question whether he was actually born on American soil. “It’s a conspiracy organized by people who can’t believe Michel Martelly is [going to be] the country’s President,” Martelly, aka “Sweet Micky,” told a Port-au-Prince radio station. “I’m Haitian, I never renounced my citizenship, my passport is Haitian.” Under the Haitian Constitution, which prohibits dual citizenship, any Haitian who has a foreign passport automatically renounces Haitian citizenship and is therefore barred from the presidency.
Aristide Headed Back to Haiti
(The Grio) — Ousted ex-Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide will return within days to his homeland ending seven years in exile, a South African official said Friday. The former slum priest remains hugely popular and his return could disrupt elections this month in his earthquake-ravaged country. In Haiti, an official with Aristide’s party confirmed that his “return is imminent,” but declined to say how or when he’s coming back. ”It’s an important event for the people in Haiti because they have waited so long for this,” said Maryse Narcisse, the head of Lavalas’ executive council. “He will not be traveling incognito. People will know he is coming.” The party was barred from taking part in the vote, and thousands of his supporters vowed last month to disturb the election if he was not allowed to come back. A South African Foreign Ministry official told The Associated Press on Friday that Aristide will return in the coming days. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to make the official announcement.
Who Let ‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier Back into Haiti?
(Time) — In the past 12 months, Haiti — already the western hemisphere’s economic basket case — has suffered an epic earthquake that according to latest estimates killed more than 250,000 people and leveled the country’s infrastructure, a cholera epidemic that has claimed thousands more lives and a powder-keg political crisis tied to the fraud-tainted Nov. 28 presidential election. All the country needed now was the return of a brutal exiled dictator. This being Haiti, whose chronic tragedy is so often served with a helping of banana-republic bizarreness, that’s what it got Sunday afternoon when Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier landed in Port-au-Prince for the first time since being thrown out of the country and packed off to France almost 25 years ago. “I came to help my country,” the 59-year-old former despot declared as some 2,000 of his supporters met him at the airport.
Haitians Protest Vote Results
(Wall Street Journal) — Thousands of protesters, some brandishing sticks and setting fire to buildings, took to the streets Wednesday to rail against official results from Haiti’s recent presidential election that included the ruling party’s candidate in a January runoff. At least three people died in the ensuing violence, witnesses said. Doubts about the official count from Haiti’s Nov. 28 vote grew after the U.S. Embassy in the capital called the results “inconsistent” with figures from international and domestic election observers. The United Nations said it was “concerned” about allegations of fraud but appealed for Haitians to remain calm and resolve their differences legally.
Haiti Postpones Ruling On Wyclef Jean's Candidacy
(The Grio) – Haiti’s electoral commission said late Tuesday that it was postponing its ruling on who will be allowed to run for president in November elections, leaving hip hop artist Wyclef Jean’s candidacy in limbo. A statement from the commission, known as the CEP, said it would postpone the announcement until Friday. The delay was the latest bizarre turn in the fledgling presidential race in this earthquake-torn country. Jean — one of dozens of candidates vying for the office — said he was in hiding Tuesday after receiving death threats.
