GOVERNMENT

 

The Government of Haiti consists of a semi-presidential republic, pluriform multiparty system whereby the President of Haiti is head of state directly elected by popular vote. The Prime Minister acts as head of government, and is appointed by the President from the majority party in the National Assembly. Executive power is exercised by the President and Prime Minister who together constitute this branch of government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the National Assembly of Haiti. The government is organized unitarily, thus the central government delegates powers to the departments without a constitutional need for consent. The current structure of Haiti's political system was set forth in the Constitution of March 29, 1987.

 

President

The president is the head of state and elected by popular vote every five years for a five-year term, and may not serve consecutive terms. The last presidential election was held on 28 November 2010 with a runoff on 20 March 2011. The next is to be held in 2015. The current president is Michel Martelly.

The president is assisted by the prime minister and his cabinet, which must be ratified by the National Assembly.