Yearbook 1996
Haiti. In February, René Préval took office in the first peaceful takeover of power since independence in 1804. Préval succeeded Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was re-elected in 1994 with the help of the United States. Preval, which belongs to the Aristide-based Plateforme Politique Lavalas (PPL), received 88% of the votes. The turnout was 27%.
The president took office when the situation was tense in the capital Port-au-Prince prior to the withdrawal of the UN force of 6,000 men. However, the UN extended its mandate (twice during the year), and 1,800 soldiers and 300 policemen remained until the end of the year. The 2,500 American soldiers left the country in the spring.
New Prime Minister Rony Smarth, PPL, formed government with 11 new ministers. PPL dominates the country’s political life and received 80% of the vote in the 1995 parliamentary elections.
- ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG: What does HT stand for? In the field of geography, this two letter acronym means Haiti. Check this to see its other meanings in English and other 35 languages.
The unrest continued during the year and the Opposition Movement for National Development (Mobilization pour le Développement National, MDN), linked to the former military junta, was suspected of being behind the violence and riots. In September, the United States sent 30 security agents to protect the president.
In the spring and summer, 60 children in Haiti died of liver failure caused by infected, domestically produced medicine. The country is the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. According to a study presented by the World Watcher magazine, a family in Haiti uses 80% of their food income. The corresponding figure for a family in the United States is 9%.
In February 2016, Prime Minister Evans Paul resigned. He was replaced by Fritz Jean, who only lasted 14 days. He got a majority against his politics in the Chamber of Deputies and then resigned. In March, he was replaced by Enex Jean-Charles.
In October, the country was hit by Hurricane Matthew, triggering the most serious humanitarian disaster since the 2010 earthquake. Over 500 were killed and at least as many injured. 170,000 lost their homes. Most in the southern part of the country. Landslides, destroyed buildings and destroyed infrastructure made $ 1.4 million. Haitians depended on humanitarian aid and sent many thousands to flee to the already crowded major cities.
The November 2016 presidential election was won in the first round by Jovenel Moïse with 55.6% of the vote. The second most votes were LAPEH’s Jude Celestin with 19.6%. The United States declared itself pleased with the election.
Jack Guy Lafontant was appointed prime minister in February 2017 and a month later was able to make his government public.
Population 1996
According to Countryaah.com, the population of Haiti in 1996 was 7,744,392, ranking number 87 in the world. The population growth rate was 1.930% yearly, and the population density was 281.0052 people per km2.
After a slowdown in the first half of the seventies, the demographic increase, the main problem of this small island state, registered a new significant acceleration (average annual 23 ‰ between 1985 and 1990), and then decreased in the following years but settling on a rather high value (21 ‰ in the period 1990-97). The population (7,952,000 residents in 1998) thus reached a density among the highest in Latin America (290 residents / km ²), with the exception of the very small islands.
The very irregular distribution has undergone notable changes following the localization of industries by multinational companies in the area of the capital, Port-au-Prince, whose urban agglomeration (1,425,600 residents In 1995) has received increasingly significant immigration flows from the countryside. On the other hand, the development of the other centers continues to be rather scarce and, consequently, the rurality rate is still high (67 %).