Haiti: Political Earthquake As President Rules by Decree - 01.15.15

As Haitians observed on Monday the fifth anniversary of the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 200,000 and all but destroyed the nation’s capital, they were experiencing aftershocks, though of a political kind.

Haiti’s parliament is dissolved, and its president, Michel Martelly, is now ruling by decree. A newly installed prime minister, Evans Paul, has taken office without a vote, either by the people or the disbanded parliament. Protests demanding Martelly’s ouster and free and fair elections are increasing in frequency and intensity.

Veteran journalist Kim Ives, an editor with Haïti Liberté, a news weekly serving the Haitian diaspora, has just returned from Haiti. He files a comprehensive report on Haiti’s political earthquake.