Haiti: Politics and Governance

Haiti is formally a semi-presidential republic in which power is divided between a president as head of state and a prime minister as head of government, supported by a bicameral legislature and an independent judiciary under the constitution adopted in 1987. In practice, the country has struggled for extended periods to keep these institutions fully functioning, and the National Assembly has at various points been unable to convene due to expired terms and unresolved elections.

In recent years, Haiti has faced a severe governance crisis marked by the absence of elected officials at multiple levels of government, significant security challenges in the capital and surrounding areas, and the involvement of an international support mission aimed at helping restore stability. A transitional governing council has worked toward organizing new elections and rebuilding state institutions, and the international community continues to closely monitor the path toward a return to full constitutional order.