The 2001 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
two years) and the Chamber of Deputies (83 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held for two-thirds of seats 21 May 2000, with runoffs on 9 July boycotted by the opposition; about eight seats still disputed; election for remaining one-third held on 26 November 2000 (next to be held NA 2002); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 May 2000, with runoffs on 30 July boycotted by the opposition; one vacant seat rerun 26 November 2000 (next election NA 2004)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FL 26, independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FL 73, OPL 1, other minor parties and independents 9
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation
Political parties and leaders: Alliance for the Liberation and
Advancement of Haiti or ALAH [Reynold GEORGES]; Assembly of
Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT]; Convergence
(opposition coalition composed of ESPACE, OPL, and MOCHRENA) [Gerard
PIERRE-CHARLES, Evans PAUL, Luc MESADIEU, Victor BENOIT]; Democratic
Consultation Group coalition or ESPACE [Evans PAUL, Victor Benoit]
composed of the following parties: National Congress of Democratic
Movements or KONAKOM, National Progressive Revolutionary Party or
PANPRA, Generation 2004, and Haiti Can; Haitian Christian Democratic
Party or PDCH [Marie-France CLAUDE]; Haitian Democratic Party or
PADEM [Clark PARENT]; Lavalas Family or FL [Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE];
Mobilization for National Development or MDN [Hubert DE RONCERAY];
Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN [Rene THEODORE];
Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti or MIDH [Marc
BAZIN]; Movement for the Organization of the Country or MOP [Gesner
COMEAU and Jean MOLIERE]; National Front for Change and Democracy or
FNCD [Evans PAUL and Turneb DELPE]; New Christian Movement for a New
Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]; Struggling People's Organization
or OPL [Gerard PIERRE-CHARLES]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Autonomous Haitian Workers or
CATH; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of Workers
Trade Unions or FOS; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye
Peasants Movement or MPP; Popular Organizations Gathering Power or
PROP; Roman Catholic Church
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, Caricom
(observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ITU, LAES, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Louis Harold JOSEPH
chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332–4090
FAX: [1] (202) 745–7215
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Brian Dean CURRAN
embassy: 5 Harry Truman Boulevard, Port-au-Prince
mailing address: P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince
telephone: [509] 222–0354, 222–0269, 222–0200, 223–4776
FAX: [509] 23–1641
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a centered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a palm tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength)
Haiti Economy
Economy - overview: About 80% of the population lives in abject poverty. Nearly 70% of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector, which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming and employs about two-thirds of the economically active work force. The country has experienced little job creation since the former President PREVAL took office in February 1996, although the informal economy is growing. Following legislative elections in May 2000, fraught with irregularities, international donors - including the US and EU - suspended almost all aid to Haiti. This destabilized the Haitian currency, the gourde, and, combined with a 40% fuel price hike in September, caused widespread price increases. Prices appear to have leveled off in January 2001.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $12.7 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.2% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 32%
industry: 20%
services: 48% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 80% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 19% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 3.6 million (1995)
note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1998)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 66%, services 25%, industry 9%
Unemployment rate: widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs (1999)
Budget: revenues: $317 million
expenditures: $362 million, including capital expenditures of $84 million (FY99/00 est.)
Industries: sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, tourism, light assembly industries based on imported parts
Industrial production growth rate: 0.6% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production: 672 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 52.83%
hydro: 47.17%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 625 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood
Exports: $186 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: manufactures, coffee, oils, mangoes
Exports - partners: US 89%, EU 8% (1999)
Imports: $1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1999)
Imports - commodities: food, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials
Imports - partners: US 60%, EU 13% (1999)
Debt - external: $1 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $730.6 million (1995)
Currency: gourde (HTG)