At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Haiti

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Rene Garcia PREVAL
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard ALEXIS
• Assembly: Haiti has a bicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) consisting of the Senate with 27 seats and the Chamber of Deputies with 83 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 5-year term.
• In the Senate 27 members are elected by popular vote to serve 6-year terms*. In the Chamber of Deputies 83 members are elected by popular vote to serve 4-year terms.

* One-third of the Senate is elected every two years.

Main Candidates in the Presidential race:

• Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE
  • Party: Lavalas Family Party (FL)
• Arnold DUMAS
  • Party: Independent Candidate
• Evan NICOLAS
  • Party: Union for National Reconstruction (UNR)
• Serge SYLVAIN
  • Party: Independent Candidate
• Calixte DORISCA
  • Party: Independent Candidate
• Jacques Philippe DORCE
  • Party: Independent Candidate
• Paul Arthur FLEURIVAL
  • Party: Independent Candidate

Last Presidential election:

• Presidential elections were last held on December 17, 1995. Rene Garcia PREVAL was elected President with 88% of the vote; his closest competitor, Leon JEUNE, received 2.5% of the vote.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 6,867,995 (July 2000 est.)
• Registered Voters: 3,668,049 ( 1995 )

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 8,549,202 (2000)
• Registered Voters: 4,245,384 (2000)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 4,327,908 (2000)

·         Is Haiti a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Haiti ratified CEDAW: Yes (20 July 1981)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 3 (Chamber of Deputies); 27 (Senate) following 2000 elections 

·         Human Development Index Position: 163 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Medium (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Haiti a signatory to CRPD: No

·         Has Haiti ratified CRPD: Yes, accession (23 July 2009)

·         Population with a disability: 1,282,380 (est.)