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Haitian Earthquake Essay

855 Words4 Pages

The Haitian earthquake of 2010 was a tragic occurrence that left the country, economy, government, and people in shambles. “Over 200,000 people killed and 300,000 injured” (CBC News, 2012), the lives of millions were shaken up. So many organizations from many countries sympathized for these Haitians and millions of dollars were donated along with relief support. Five years later, the evidence of the disaster is still very evident. The current state of the Haitian government has created a political crisis that is obstructing important reformation of the economy, environment and other aspects of Haitian society that must be resolved in order to build a better foundation of functionality and sustainability for future generations. The after effects …show more content…

Haiti’s government has a long history of corruption and dysfunctionality. “Haiti has never developed a civic culture -- widespread acceptance of the rule of law and institutions strong enough to enforce laws and legal decisions -- to replace the exercise of violence as a means to political power” (GlobalSecurity). The government situation has improved drastically since gaining independence, but by no means up to a functional strength. Political protests are regular in the capital of Haiti, protesting UN involvement and also presidential elections. These protests are a result of the government’s inability to give the people what they want. Haiti has a semi-presidential government, which means there is both a President, who acts as the head of state, and a Prime Minister, who acts as the head of government who work together. After the earthquake struck in 2010, the presidential and legislative elections intended for the end of that year were pushed back. After much corruption, influxes in power, and protests, Haiti is trying to gain control of their government once more. After legislation elections in August 2015, violent protests erupted, but Haiti still gained political headway. Presidential elections were set to happen in October of 2015, but the Electoral Council was unable to provide a majority vote and the election was once more at a standstill. A runoff is now set for December 27th between two

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