Political Parties in the Construction of Democracy in Haiti
- The study argues that Haitian parties since 1986 have multiplied without producing strong programmatic or ideological differentiation.
- Electoral legitimacy is weakened by persistently low voter turnout, especially after the high point of 1990.
- Party proliferation is high, but only a small subset wins meaningful vote shares or legislative seats.
- The 2010 presidential election is used as a central example of weak legitimacy because the elected president represented a small share of registered voters.
- Financing rules set thresholds for donations and private funding, but the text questions control and enforcement capacity.
- The study links party weakness to social inequality, low literacy, centralization, limited participation by women and youth, and the influence of international actors.
This 2014 International IDEA volume, directed by Laënnec Hurbon with Alain Gilles and Franklin Midy, studies the role of Haitian political parties in the construction of democracy. It is designed as a training and interpretation tool for parties, citizens and international partners, with particular attention to institutional strengthening and to the participation of young people and women. The first part places parties in Haiti's social and political history, from the period before the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship through the long democratic transition after 1986.
It examines whether decrees and laws on political parties strengthened democracy and how parties have operated in Parliament. The second part analyzes party functioning, ideological indistinction, electoral behavior, party proliferation, the professionalization of politics, party typologies and presidential election results from 1988 to 2010. Later sections discuss party perceptions, a socio-political survey of active parties, women's participation, legitimacy of power and the influence of international actors on elections.
The study emphasizes weak programmatic differentiation, low electoral participation, fragile legitimacy, financing rules, low citizen confidence and the gap between formal party multiplication and effective democratic representation.
How to cite
International IDEA, 2014, Political Parties in the Construction of Democracy in Haiti, https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/les-partis-politiques-dans-la-construction-de-la-democratie-en-haiti