National Assembly of Haiti

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Haiti

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The National Assembly of Haiti (French: Assemblée Nationale) constitutes the legislative branch of the Haitian government. The Assembly is bicameral, the upper house being the Senate of Haiti and the lower house being the Chamber of Deputies of Haiti. Meetings of the National Assembly are presided over by the President of the Senate, with the President of the Chamber of Deputies assisting. The Secretaries of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies also serve as Secretaries of the National Assembly.

The Senate consists of thirty seats, with three members from each of the ten administrative departments. Prior to the creation of the Nippes Department in 2003, there were twenty-seven seats. Senators are elected by popular vote to six-year terms, with one-third elected every two years. After the elections of 2000, twenty-six of the then twenty-seven seats were held by Jean-Bertrand Aristide's Fanmi Lavalas party. The Senate was not in session following the overthrow of Aristide's government in February 2004. An interim government was put in place following the rebellion, and the remaining Senators were not recognised during that time. The Senate was re-established and elections were held on 21 April 2006. The next elections are scheduled to occur in 2008, when one-third of the Senate seats will be open.

The Chamber of Deputies has ninety-nine members (previously eighty-three) who are elected by popular vote to four-year terms. Candidates from Aristide's Fanmi Lavalas party took seventy-three of the then eighty-three seats in the 2000 elections. Following the overthrow of the government in February 2004, the Chamber of Deputies remained empty. It was re-established along with the Senate, and elections were held on 21 April 2006. The next Chamber elections are scheduled for 2010.

[edit] References

This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

• Haiti. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency (2006-11-14). Retrieved on 2006-11-17.

• Schutt-Ainé, Patricia; Staff of Librairie Au Service de la Culture (1994). Haiti: A Basic Reference Book. Miami, Florida: Librairie Au Service de la Culture, p. 167. ISBN 0-9638599-0-0.