Presidents of Haiti
Since Haiti declared independence in 1804, its situation has been in an instability position. Including their politics, economics, and educational system. In the history of Haiti, the biggest blow to Haiti is none other than President Francois Duvalier(Figure 1). After Duvalier became president, he used political murder to suppress opponents at home and established his own militia and secret police organization, and established a secret agency, called Tonton Macoutes, to arrest and persecute student leaders and trade union leaders, against the opposition in the political, military, business, educational and religious circles, replaced by members of the Duvalier family to consolidate his dictatorship. During Duvalier’s reign, he used Tonton Macoutes to kill more than 30,000 people. After Duvalier, Haiti’s political and economic situation fell to its lowest point. He deeply influenced Haitian politics. Political corruption has become a widespread problem in Haiti. Haiti suffers from extreme socio-economic inequalities, weak institutions, impunity, and corruption, along with frequent political violence. The country is already in some ways, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Obviously, even though Duvalier was gone, Duvalierism was preserved intact.
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Following Francois Duvalier, President Jean-Bertrand Aristide(Figure 2) had several coups during his tenure. Aristide is the president who won the Haiti’s first free democratic election in 1990, and took office on February 7, 1991. As president, he launched a literacy program to increase literacy rates in Haiti, oversaw a dramatic reduction in human rights violations, he also abolished the system of repression on the heads of rural departments. His series of policies and reforms angered the army, gangs, and Haitian elites. On September 30, 1991, Aristide was overthrown in a coup. He remained in exile until October 15, 1994, he returned to the presidency, and although he was supported and welcomed by Haitian civilians, he was unable to find an effective solution to the country’s economic problems and social inequalities. At the same time, he stepped down as president in 1996 under pressure from Haitian elites and gangs, and a constitutional barred him from seeking re-election. But he won the election again in 2001 to become president, and opposition to him also increased. His supporters and opponents continued to have small wars, resulting in a lot of material wastage. The most serious coup was the coup that happened in 2004, which led to his exile again. The 2004 coup also brought Haiti into the spotlight of the United Nations, which sent troops into Haiti to help suppress the riots.
Jovenel Moïse
After Aristide, another president, Jovenel Moïse(Figure 3), once again let Haiti receive the world’s attention. Jovenel Moïse became president in 2017, but according to a series of actions and policies he made, he was suspected of becoming the next Duvalier, and this made Haitians panic. As a result, numerous demonstrations in Haiti demanded his resignation. This may also have contributed to his assassination in the early hours of July 7, 2021. After the assassination, Haiti was once again engulfed in political gridlock and potential violence.