Search

This article reports on the ongoing presidential election in Haiti. According to early results, 63-year-old populist Rene Préval held an early lead. If Préval were to be elected, he would have to contend with angry political rivals, a fractious Parliament and the armed gangs of Cité Soleil, a dense slum in Port-au-Prince.

Focuses on the political instability in Haiti. Indications of the violent events occurring in Haiti; Comments from Michele Montas, owner of an independent radio station in Port-au-Prince, indicating the people of Haiti are afraid of the rebels and the pro-government vigilantes loyal to Jean-Bertrand Aristide; International reaction to the problems in Haiti from France and the United States, suggesting they feel Aristide should step down; Recent political and governmental history in Haiti; How Aristide's government began to resemble that of a dictator; Speculation about the future political rule in Haiti.

This article reports on elections in Haiti being postponed for the fourth time since November 2005. The United Nations Security Council has urged Haiti's leaders to hold elections by February 7, 2006. Robert McGuire, an expert on Haiti from Trinity University, commented on why that date may be unrealistic. Robert Fatton Jr., a Haiti expert at the University of Virginia, commented on Haiti having no institutions, no judicial system, and no government.

Offers a look at political violence and instability in Haiti following the U.S.-led ouster of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004; Decline of social and political stability in Haiti; Beheading of several policemen in Haiti; Prevalence of kidnappings in Haiti; Decision to postpone upcoming municipal elections so that the country could better prepare for the presidential vote; Possibility that the United Nations peacekeeping forces will withdraw from Haiti following the elections.

The article discusses how Jean-Claude Duvalier, the self-proclaimed president for life and son of the notorious dictator Francois Duvalier in Haiti, left the country amid allegations of abject corruption and human-rights violations committed during his 15-year rule. No self-respecting politician in Haiti today professes any allegiance to him, and the Bush administration doesn't want him to come back any time soon. His return would have been unthinkable under Jean-Bertrand Aristide, whose political career began as an outspoken opponent of the Duvalier regime in the 1980s, when the future president was still a Roman Catholic priest in the capital of Port-au-Prince. Any decision to allow Duvalier back into the country would have to be made by Gerard Latortue, an ex-foreign minister and a former U.N. official who was appointed interim prime minister last month to guide Haiti through its post-Aristide transition. Any decision to allow Duvalier back into the country would have to be made by Gerard Latortue, an ex-foreign minister and a former U.N. official who was appointed interim prime minister last month to guide Haiti through its post-Aristide transition. Latortue has yet to voice any opinion on the matter, but there appear to be no legal impediments barring the return of Duvalier, who was granted asylum by the French government when he fled Haiti. A special U.N. envoy said last week it could take as long as 18 months to organize the new presidential election.

Reports on the humanitarian crisis in Haiti due to clashes between the supporters and opponents of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Efforts of Haitian opposition leaders to lobby the international community to oust Aristide from office; Insurgency from an armed gang known as the Cannibal Army; Possibility that the Caribbean Community will attempt to create a government in Haiti that would involve a neutral prime minister and opposition members; How U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld ruled against sending in the U.S. Marines.

Reports on several options for celebrating the New Year. Web sites offering tips; Celebration in Rio de Janeiro; Description of a typical Japanese New Year's celebration; Growth in tourism in Beirut; Independence celebration in Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Desert tour of Morocco; Hogmanay festival in Edinburgh.

Examines the string of protests against Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and his ineffective policies. Human rights abuses, soaring prices and the government's failure to curb poverty cited as the cause for the decline in approval ratings; International blocking of aid and loans that had been reserved for Haiti; Aristide resorting to authoritarian rule in order to keep control.

Discusses the impact of Hurricane Jeanne on Haiti, which left 1,500 dead in 2004. Report that armed gangs and looters threatened foreign relief efforts by stealing food aid; Conflict between protesters and the police in Port-au-Prince; Failure of Haiti's interim government to disarm the country's rebels; Acquittal of several former paramilitary leaders, including Louis Jodel Chamblain.

Focuses on the mountain fort in Haiti called the Citadel. Significance as one of Haiti's few prized possession that has never been taken away; Description of the scenery surrounding it; Way that it represents a haven for love, friendship, family, and happiness amid turbulent politics, corruption, poverty, a desecrated landscape and never-ending oppression.