Haiti: Petition pushes for constitutional amendments before elections

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Haitian politician Werley Nortreus, leader and founder of the political party and movement Jeunes Dirigeants Haïtiens Progressistes, is the first politician in Haiti to have created a petition on the internet to push for a new constitution. 

He wants it to be amended so that candidates who are 25 years and older have the right to participate in the general elections for positions in the executive, legislative and judiciary branches of government. Currently candidates must be 35 years of age or older to be eligible to be elected to the executive and legislative arms of the government.

“Former Haitian President Jovenel Moïse once said that the Haitian people asked for a new constitution for the country, which is a good choice. But I also think that the new constitution proposed by Moïse deserves to be modified,” Nortreus says.

“A new constitution that includes everyone is the only chance for the country to remove itself from the miserable situation it finds itself in. The old constitutions have divided more than united. Therefore, I created the petition so that everyone’s rights can be taken into consideration. The country needs this new constitution before the new general elections,” Nortreus says.

It is the first time in Haiti’s and indeed the Caribbean’s history that some Haitian leaders and citizens want to amend and establish a new constitution that includes all Haitian citizens, and where everyone’s rights are considered. 

Haiti’s Constitution was modelled on those of the United States, Poland and France. The 1987 Constitution was modified under the government of former president Michel Joseph Martelly, and there were some new revisions approved by the Haitian parliament in 2011 and 2012.

Moïse proposed a new constitution and referendum in 2020, which was postponed in 2021 because cases of Covid-19 were increasing across the country. Two days before his assassination in July 2021, Moïse appointed Prime Minister Ariel Henry to continue the draft of the new constitution, establish security and hold credible and fair general elections. 

“I appointed citizen Ariel Henry to the post of prime minister. He will have to form an opening government including the living forces of the nation, solve the problem of insecurity, and support the CEP [Provisional Electoral Council] for the realisation of the general elections and the referendum,” Moïse said.

Meanwhile, the socio-economic situation of the country’s citizens has become more unstable, after it was battered by an earthquake in August 2021. Gang violence and assassinations have caused schools to close. Demonstrations against Henry continue to demand his departure from power. 

Bocchit Edmond, the Haitian ambassador to the United States, said the country needs a new constitution that includes everyone, even those living in the diaspora. He said the current constitution makes good governance impossible.

“Haiti’s problems are the result of political instability. Because of political instability, we cannot attract investment. And the new constitution will open a path for political stability.”

English and French versions of Nortreus’s petition have been created to request constitutional amendments. People have started to sign because they believe that the country needs to integrate the youth into Haiti’s politics. 

Nortreus says that the country needs new faces and candidates on the political scene, to collaborate with the politicians of past generations. But many signatures are needed on the petition to prove that the constitution deserves to be modified.

Elections are due to be held this year, but no date has yet been set.

Marie Honore is a journalist based in Haiti.The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Mail & Guardian.