Election Profile:

Flag of Haiti Source for election date

At stake in this election:

  • The office of President of Haiti

Description of government structure:

  • Chief of State: President Boniface ALEXANDRE *
  • Head of Government: Prime Minister Gerald LATORTUE **
  • Assembly: Haiti has a bicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) consisting of the Senate with 30 seats and the Chamber of Deputies with 99 seats.

* Boniface ALEXANDRE became president on 29 February 2004, when Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE resigned as president.

** Prime Minister LATORTUE is an Interim PM.

Description of electoral system:

  • The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 5-year term.
  • In the Senate 30 members are elected by popular vote to serve 6-year terms*. In the Chamber of Deputies 99 members are elected by popular vote to serve 4-year terms.**

* One-third of the Senate is elected every two years.

** The National Assembly stopped functioning in January 2004 when the terms of all deputies and of two-thirds of sitting senators expired. No replacements have been elected and the President is currently ruling by decree. According to an electoral decree in September 2005, the assembly will increase in this election from 27 to 30 senators and from 83 to 99 deputies.

Main Candidates in the Presidential race:

  • René Garcia PREVAL
    Party: Hope Front / Front de l'Espoir (LESPWA)
  • Lesly Francois MANIGAT
    Party: Assembly of Progressive National Democrats / Rassemblement des Démocrates Nationaux Progressistes (RDNP)
  • Charles Henry BAKER
    Party: Independent Candidate
  • Jean Chavannes JEUNE
    Party: National Union for the Reconstruction of Haiti / Union Nationale pour la Reconstruction d’Haïti (UNCRH)
  • Luc MESADIEU
    Party: Christian Movement for a New Haiti / Mouvement Chretien pour une Nouvelle Haïti (MOCHRENAH)
  • Serge GILLES
    Party: Fusion of Haitian Social Democrats / Fusion des Sociaux-Démocrates (FUSION)
  • Paul DENIS
    Party: Struggling People's Organization / Organisation du Peuple en Lutte (OPL)
  • Evans PAUL********
    Alliance: Democratic Alliance / Alliance Démocratique (ALYANS)
  • Guy PHILIPPE
    Party: National Reconstruction Front / Front pour la Reconstruction Nationale (FRN)
  • Luc FLEURINORD
    Party: Independent Movement for National Reconciliation / (MIRN)
  • Other Candidates
    Party: N/A

******** Alliance Démocratique (ALYANS) is an alliance between the Convention for Democratic Unity (Konvansyon Inite Demokratik KID), Parti populaire du Renouveau haïtien (PPRH) and PLD.

Last Presidential election:

  • The last presidential election was held on 26 November 2000. Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE was elected president with 92% of the vote.

Population and number of registered voters:

  • Population: 8,282,968 (December 2005 est.)
  • Registered Voters: 3,533,430 (December 2005 )

Last Updated on 01/27/2006