ARISTIDE FACING HOSTILITIES IN PORT-AU-PRINCE
11 January 2004

Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the former Catholic priest and community activist who rose to power in opposition to the infamous Duvalier family dictatorship, is facing protests in the streets of the Haitian capital. The crowds chanted slogans calling for Aristide to "Go", but the President enjoys strong support in the rural areas, where as much as 80% of the population resides, and where his support is buoyed by allegiance from the nation's poor.

Aristide was deposed in a violent coup by pro-Duvalier forces, shortly after beginning democratic reforms, but was then restored with American support during the 1990's. He reportedly plans to hold free elections this year, and to foment reforms to benefit the poor. But widespread HIV and crushing poverty continue to rile the poorest population in the Americas. Violence surrounding protests has persisted for months, but Aristide still enjoys international support of governments and organizations who view him as the best hope for a democratic Haiti.

Still, student organizers have suggested that if elections are not held next week, the President will lose his mandate from the people. Aristide has suggested that elections should be held within 6 months, in order to ensure that street violence does not taint the results. [For more: BBC]

In December, Aristide sent a bill for $21,685,135,571.48 to France. According to the Miami Herald:

The Haitian government says the money is the modern-day equivalent of the ransom, 90 million gold francs (originally set at 150 million gold francs) that Haitian President Jean-Pierre Boyer agreed to pay France.

The "bill" is a request for restitution for the morally unjustifiable centuries' long practice of slave-trading and forceful oppression of the Haitian population, which ended 200 years ago, when Haiti became the only nation in the world to successfully revolt against slavery. Aristide is seen by supporters as a democratic pioneer who is still struggling to cast off the legacy of colonialism and slavery. The opposition claims the move is just a distraction. [s]