Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

Poster biddingfarewell toJean-Bertrand Aristide, following his
1994 overthrow
Courtesy Anne Greene
Political Players and Patterns of Participation
Involvement in Haitian politics traditionally has been the
domain of the army and urban elites. Other members of the
society, the demographically dominant urban poor and the
rural masses, largely excluded from meaningful participation
in the country's political life, have been the target of Haiti's
political players, particularly when they could be mobilized to
serve ulterior motives of political leaders. The Duvaliers were
masterful at mobilizing the masses to serve their ends: trucking
peasants to the capital so they could demonstrate their "support"
of the regime; creating festive events and holidays during
which the poor could receive hand-outs from their munificent
leader such as food, currency in the form of five-gourde notes
thrown at them from passing cars, and T-shirts emblazoned
with a likeness of the president.
With the demise of the Duvaliers, Haiti's political outsiders
struggled to gain meaningful participation in their country's
political process. The clear parameters for the equal participation
in political life for all citizens established by the 1987 constitution
facilitated a tidal wave of outside voter registration in
1990 immediately after their man, Jean-Bertrand Aristide,
declared his candidacy for the presidency. Haiti's political elites
437