Government

Charles Riviere-Herard, born in February 1789, became Haiti's 5th president in 1843. He spearheaded the coup d'état of President Jean-Pierre Boyer, content to let the new Provisional government rule. But when an amended Constitution was passed without his input, he rallied the Haitian army's support, grabbed power, and installed himself in the office of the presidency.

During his short one-year rule, Charles Riviere-Herard resisted the neighboring country of Santo Domingo's efforts to form its own republic. He invaded the newly-named Dominican Republic (DR) with an infantry of 25,000 enemy combatants, determined to reclaim Haiti's sovereignty over the DR. He soon failed in the attempt, and his army was pushed back onto Haitian soil.

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Michel Cincinnatus Leconte, descendent of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the first head of state of the new Republic of Haiti, assumed the office of the presidency, backed by Parliament in August 1911. Prior to his ascendency, Leconte had been appointed Minister of the Interior by President Pierre Nord Alexis, but was pressured to flee to Jamaica when a coup ran Alexis out of office in 1908. François Antoine Simon then held the office.

By 1911 Cincinnatus Leconte returned, amassing an army to remove Simon from office by force. He was successful, arriving in Port-au-Prince a hero. In gratitude, Parliament ushered him into office, with an unprecedented seven-year term.

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Members of the Bicameral Commission choosing theIR 3 representatives

Senator Simon Desras has forced the issue with the Chamber of Deputies (COD) whether or not Haiti will hold elections later this year. The conflict between the upper and lower chambers of Parliament centers on the selection of Electoral Council delegates.

The two chambers had brokered a deal a maximum of nine Parliament members would research the rules and procedures governing the Electoral Council's role in electoral politics. The Senate chose four senators, leaving the COD the option to choose four or five members to comprise the commission. Instead the COD chose nine members of the lower chamber, creating a firestorm.

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The government of Haiti GOH) has passed almost as many constitutions as it has survived coup d'etats. Haiti's current Constitution, passed in 2012, is the 23rd one written into law.

The first Constitution of Saint-Domingue in 1801 appointed General Toussaint L'Ouverture as ruler for life. It also put an end to slavery, democratized hiring practices, and prohibited all religions except Catholicism. The 1805 Constitution allowed all forms of religious faith and approved reverse-race discrimination, calling all citizens black. The 1807 Constitution removed the reverse-race discrimination clause.

In 1816, the 1806 Constitution was revived, declaring President Alexandre Pétion President for Life. It also gave him unilateral power over Parliament. But under Jean-Baptiste Riché, the 1816 Constitution was put into effect again.

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Security for Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the former President of Haiti, was removed as a part of an administrative decision made by Martelly administration. This decision came 48 hours after the appearance of the former president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide in court on May 8. This decision was made despite the fact that former heads of state are entitled to get security. Garry Pierre-Paul Charles, host of Scoop FM Radio, confirmed this news on Friday, May 10.

Garry Pierre-Paul Charles reported that this decision was made by the Martelly administration because Aristide took the role of political arrival by making declarations on Thursday, May 9. The declarations made by the former head of the state included the possibilities of electoral sweep by the political party of Jean-Bertrand Aristide - Fanmi Lavalas but he did not mention the name of Jean Leopold Dominique during his declarations. The Martelly administration removed the security because political arrival is in direct violation of the laws of the Republic of Haiti.

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There are two houses forming Haiti's bicameral legislature, one of which is the Lower House or the Chamber of Deputies. There are 99 members of the Lower House, all of whom have won with absolute majority during the last election. Members can serve a four-year term and they can keep on running for Chambers seats because there is no limit.

However, there are requirements that aspiring Lower House members must meet to become eligible to run for the seats. First of all, a candidate must be 25 years old at the time of registration. He/she should not have criminal records that eliminated his/her political and civil rights and he must be a Haitian citizen by birth. Mental illness, imprisonment, and undocumented immigrant status are among the factors that can disqualify an individual from the Lower House race. Members and executives of the Electoral Commission are ineligible as well.

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Oath-taking is an act of making a promise and a vow. However, it is not as simple as that because oath-taking is not just about making a promise. It is about declaring that promise and vow upon something or someone sacred to the person taking the oath. Commonly, oath makers call on God to bear witness and bind the promise they make. This is to create solemnity and sincerity to the oath. Once an oath is taken, the maker is expected to do everything to keep that promise. Those failing to make true to their oath are expected to face divine displeasure. Being unable to fulfill the duties and responsibilities involved in the oath is something that illicit displeasure and great disappointment.

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A cabinet reshuffle is commonly the only way to solve economic and social challenges faced by any country.

A cabinet reshuffle makes a way out for non-performing ministers and replaces them with fresh leadership. The action may also have ministers reassigned to different ministries. The exercise is done to get a non-performing nation back on course.

Prevailing leadership problems are as a result of the absence of proper management and vision in the government of a country and putting in place a new team helps regain confidence.

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Simon Dieuseul Desras, President of the Senate stated to a journalist on Thursday that Lucmane Delille, Port-au-Prince's Government Commissioner is not competent enough nor does he have the disposition at a professional level to purse a case against Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the former President.

Who Should Deal The Case
Delille seems unfit for various reasons. It is recalled by Senator Desras that the capital city's government commissioner was a GNB or the Grenn Nan Bouda member. GNB translation indicates, 'sexual organs of males in the buttocks'. Elites as a reactionary group formed GNB that includes Haitian President who was a musician formerly. In 2004 to oust the President, Group 184 funded GNB.

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The actions of the members of the Parliamentarians for Institutional Strengthening (PRI) during the opening of a Parliamentary session did not sit well with officials. It can be recalled that PRI officials booed and gave out hostile remarks when Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe opened the parliamentary session. The reported reaction prevented Lamothe from doing the traditional reading of the balance sheet. PRI members reportedly made such actions because of Lamothe's failure to respond to the bloc's invitations and convocations and distribute the 2012-2013 budget.

The PRI's actions were condemned by Ralph Theano, the minister in charge of relations with Parliament. He said that the PRI members were a shame to the Parliament and their actions are a crime against the nation. Theano also defended Lamothe, saying that it was not the prime minister's fault that the budget was not yet allocated. The minister added that in other countries, parliamentarians like the PRI members will be asked to step down from their posts if they did something like that.

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