Legal System of Haiti

Haiti is located in Central America N Caribbean. It is geographically situated in caribbean, western one-third of the island of hispaniola, between the caribbean sea and the north atlantic ocean, west of the dominican republic. The country achieved independence on 1 january 1804 (from france). The capital is Port-au-Prince.

Government Overview

Government Type: semi-presidential republic Chief of State: President (vacant) Head of Government: Prime Minister Alix Didier FILS-AIMÉ (since 10 November 2024) Cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president; parliament must ratify the Cabinet and prime minister’s governing policy Administrative Divisions: 10 departments (départements, singular - département); Artibonite, Centre, Grand’Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est National Holiday: Independence Day, 1 January (1804) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of Haiti is described as civil law system strongly influenced by Napoleonic Code International Law: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; non-party state to the ICCt

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: many previous; latest adopted 10 March 1987, with substantial revisions in June 2012 Amendment Process: proposed by the executive branch or by either the Senate or the Chamber of Deputies; consideration of proposed amendments requires support by at least two-thirds majority of both houses; passage requires at least two-thirds majority of the membership present and at least two-thirds majority of the votes cast; approved amendments enter into force after installation of the next president of the republic; constitutional articles on the democratic and republican form of government cannot be amended

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Supreme Court or Cour de cassation (consists of 12 judges) Judge Selection: judges appointed by the president from candidate lists submitted by the Senate of the National Assembly Subordinate Courts: Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; magistrate’s courts; land, labor, and children’s courts

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of bicameral Note: note 1: when the two chambers meet collectively, it is known as the National Assembly (or L’Assemblée nationale) and is convened for specific purposes spelled out in the constitution

note 2: as of October 2024, the Senate and Chamber of Deputies were not functional Lower Chamber: Chamber of Deputies (Chambre des Députés) (119 (all directly elected) seats) Electoral System (Lower Chamber): plurality/majority Upper Chamber: Senate (Sénat)

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a native-born citizen of Haiti Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

The native Taino -- who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when Christopher COLUMBUS first landed in 1492 -- were virtually wiped out by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Haiti based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.