Haiti
Country in the Caribbean, occupying the Western-part of the island
of Hispaniola; to the E is the Dominican Republic.
Government
The 1950 constitution was revised 1957, 1964, 1971, 1983, 1985, and
1987. The 1987 constitution provides for a 27-member senate and an 83-member
chamber of deputies, all popularly elected, as well as a ` dual executiveŽ
of a president and prime minister sharing power, based on the French
model. The president is elected by universal suffrage for a five-year
term and appoints a prime minister on the basis of assembly support.
The prime minister chooses a cabinet in consultation with the president.
History
The island of Hispaniola was once inhabited by Arawak Indians who had
died out by the end of the 16th century owing to conquest, warfare,
hard labour, and diseases brought in by the Europeans after the
arrival of Christopher Columbus 1492. The island was made a Spanish
colony under the name of Santo Domingo, but the western part was
colonized by France from the mid-17th century. In 1697 the western
third of the island was ceded to France by Spain. Independence
achieved The period 1790-1804 was fraught with rebellions against
France, tension among blacks, whites, and mulattos, and military
intervention by France and Britain. In one such rebellion 1791
the island was taken over by slaves, under Toussaint L'Ouverture,
and slavery was abolished, but it was then reinstated after he
was killed by the French.
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English/French, Single Showcased Property