A Look at Haiti?s most recent Presidents
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Michel Martelly
Incumbent President Michel Martelly assumed office in May 2011. Before his presidency, he was known as “Sweet Micky,” the stage name he used when he was still a famous singer. Through his compas music, rising popularity, and involvement in politics, he was linked with the Duvalierist Haitian military and police.
He then supported a coup d’état that ousted former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 1991. There were plans to bring Aristide back to power in 1992 but Martelly opposed it. To show support in the revolt, he played his music during a rally against a plan to reinstate Aristide.
In 2010, Michel Martelly ran for president and won the election despite a run-off with rival Mirlande Manigat. His focus immediately went to reconstruction efforts to rebuild Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake. He then faced criticisms and opposition by human rights activists when he announced plans to revive the military that was blamed for past atrocities. Michel continues to lead the country with government reforms but is nursing an illness. He is now seeking treatment for his pulmonary embolism.
Rene Preval
Rene Preval became Haiti’s president twice and he was the second politician to win in a democratic election. His first presidency ran from 1996 to 2001. He completed his term and left office after his uninterrupted term’s natural expiration.
During his first presidency, he launched several economic reforms. He decided to privatize government companies, which is one of his most notable and biggest reforms. The unemployment rate in the country significantly dropped during his power.
After his term, Rene Preval let go of the presidency for five years. In 2006, he ran for the presidential position again. It wasn’t a landslide win, as a run-off became necessary after a huge drop in his votes.
Protestors marched to the streets to show support for him, who was eventually declared winner by the Provisional Electoral Council. Rene Preval worked on unifying Haiti, saying that the division among its people was the main culprit behind the country’s problems. His second term finished in 2011.
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
The Haitian government reeled from two coup d’etats against Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The Catholic priest became the first president to have won in a democratic election in 1991. However, a military coup overthrew his government just eight months after he swept the election. Aristide was forced out of office after Army General Raoul Cedras launched the siege. Aristide was sent into exile and his life was saved by diplomats from the United States, France, and Venezuela.
Jean-Bertrand Aristide was given the chance to complete his term in 1994 when international pressure forced the military regime to back down. After he returned to office in October 1994, Aristide immediately disbanded the Army and instead mobilized a civilian police force. His term ended in 1996.
Five years later, he ran for presidency again and won. However, oppositions and protests did not leave him behind as in 2004, his government was again destabilized by another coup d’etat. The revolt began when gang leader Amiot Metayer was killed. It then led to Aristide’s removal from office. Boniface Alexandre, who was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court that time, took the role of acting president from 2004 to 2006.
