Jean-Bertrand Aristide facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
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Jean-Bertrand Aristide returns to the National Palace in Port au Prince, Haiti during Operation Uphold Democracy in October 1994
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| President of Haiti | |||||||||
| In office 4 February 2001 – 29 February 2004 |
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| Prime Minister | Jacques-Édouard Alexis Jean Marie Chérestal Yvon Neptune |
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| Preceded by | René Préval | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | Boniface Alexandre | ||||||||
| In office 12 October 1994 – 7 February 1996 |
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| Prime Minister | Smarck Michel Claudette Werleigh |
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| Preceded by | Émile Jonassaint | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | René Préval | ||||||||
| In office 7 February 1991 – 29 September 1991 |
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| Prime Minister | René Préval | ||||||||
| Preceded by | Ertha Pascal-Trouillot | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | Raoul Cédras | ||||||||
| Leader of Fanmi Lavalas | |||||||||
| Assumed office 30 October 1996 |
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| Preceded by | Position established | ||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||
| Born | 15 July 1953 Port-Salut, Sud, Haiti |
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| Political party | Lavalas Political Organization (1991–96) Fanmi Lavalas (1996–present) |
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| Spouse |
Mildred Trouillot
(m. 1996) |
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| Children | 2 daughters | ||||||||
| Alma mater | Collège Notre-Dame State University of Haiti University of South Africa |
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| Occupation | Priest | ||||||||
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Jean-Bertrand Aristide (born 15 July 1953) is a Haitian former priest and politician. He became Haiti's first democratically elected president in 1991. However, he was removed from power in a military coup just months later.
As a priest, Aristide taught a belief system called liberation theology. This idea focuses on helping the poor and fighting for justice. As president, he worked to make Afro-Creole culture and the Vodou religion more accepted in Haiti.
Aristide was appointed to a church in Port-au-Prince in 1982. He became a key leader in the movement for democracy. This movement first opposed Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier and then the military government that followed.
He won the 1990–91 presidential election with 67% of the votes. After being removed in 1991, he returned to power in 1994. He served as president again from 1994 to 1996 and from 2001 to 2004.
In 2004, Aristide was removed from power again in a second coup. This happened after armed groups entered the country. Aristide and many others have said that the United States played a role in this second coup. After this, he lived in exile in the Central African Republic and South Africa. He returned to Haiti in 2011.
Contents
Early Life and Becoming a Priest
Jean-Bertrand Aristide was born into a poor family in Port-Salut, Sud, on 15 July 1953. His father died when he was very young. He later moved to Port-au-Prince with his mother.
When he was five, Aristide started school with priests from the Salesian order. He studied at the Collège Notre-Dame in Cap-Haïtien. He graduated with high honors in 1974. He then continued his studies in the Dominican Republic and later in Haiti. He studied philosophy and psychology at the State University of Haiti.
After finishing his studies in 1979, Aristide traveled in Europe. He studied in Italy, Greece, and in the Palestinian town of Beit Jala. He returned to Haiti in 1982. He became a Salesian priest and was assigned to a small church in Port-au-Prince.
Speaking Out for the Poor
From 1957 to 1986, Haiti was ruled by the Duvalier family. These were harsh dictatorships led by François "Papa Doc" and Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier. Aristide was deeply affected by the suffering of Haiti's poor people. He became a strong critic of the Duvalier government.
He also spoke out against the leaders of the church in Haiti. He believed they were too close to the government. Aristide was a supporter of liberation theology. This idea says that the church should work to free people from poverty and injustice. His strong words did not go unnoticed by the government. He was even sent away to Montreal for three years.
By 1985, more and more people in Haiti were against the Duvalier government. Aristide returned to Haiti and continued to preach. His sermons encouraged people to stand up for what was right.
Aristide became a key leader in the Ti Legliz movement. This name means "little church" in Kreyòl. In September 1985, he was assigned to St. Jean Bosco church in a poor area of Port-au-Prince. He noticed that young people were not attending church. So, he started organizing weekly youth Masses. He also founded an orphanage for street children in 1986 called Lafanmi Selavi (Family is Life). This program aimed to teach children about democracy. As Aristide became a voice for the poor, he faced danger. He survived at least four attempts on his life.
In 1994, Aristide left the priesthood. This ended years of disagreement with the church leaders. On 20 January 1996, Aristide married Mildred Trouillot. They have two daughters.
First Time as President (1991–1996)
After a violent election in 1987, the 1990 election was approached with care. Aristide decided to run for president. He campaigned for six weeks, calling his supporters the "National Front for Change and Democracy" (FNCD). In 1990, Aristide was elected president with 67% of the vote. This election is seen as the first truly fair election in Haiti's history.
However, just eight months into his presidency, he was removed by a bloody military coup. He then left the FNCD and started a new political party called the Struggling People's Organization (OPL). Its name means "the flood" or "torrent" in Kréyòl. The coup happened on the 200-year anniversary of Bois Caïman. This was a Vodou ceremony where Haitians planned the Haitian Revolution of 1791. Aristide's government had celebrated this event.
Overthrown by Military Coup
A coup attempt against Aristide happened even before he officially became president. On 6 January, Roger Lafontant, a former leader under Duvalier, took over the government. But many Aristide supporters protested in the streets, and the army stopped the coup.
During his short first term, Aristide tried to make big changes. These changes were strongly opposed by Haiti's wealthy business owners and military leaders. He wanted the military to be controlled by civilians. He also started investigations into human rights abuses. He put some former Duvalier supporters on trial. His relationship with the National Assembly became difficult. He often tried to make decisions without their approval.
In September 1991, the army carried out a coup against him. This was led by army general Raoul Cédras, whom Aristide had promoted. Aristide was removed from power on 29 September 1991. After a few days, he was sent into exile. His life was saved only because diplomats from the U.S., France, and Venezuela stepped in.
Aristide spent his exile first in Venezuela and then in the United States. He worked to gain international support. The United Nations placed a trade ban on Haiti during his exile. This was meant to force the coup leaders to step down. However, this ban hurt Haiti's already weak economy.
Return to Power in 1994
Many Haitian people living abroad protested and asked U.S. President Bill Clinton to help Aristide return to Haiti. With pressure from the U.S. and other countries, the military government agreed to step down. U.S. troops were sent to Haiti in Operation Uphold Democracy. On 15 October 1994, the Clinton administration helped Aristide return to Haiti to finish his term.
In 1996, Aristide received the UNESCO Prize for human rights education.
Political Opposition (1996–2001)
In late 1996, Aristide left the OPL party. He felt it was becoming too distant from the people. He then created a new political party called the Fanmi Lavalas. The OPL, which had the most seats in the Haitian parliament, changed its name but kept the OPL initials.
Fanmi Lavalas won the 2000 legislative election in May. However, there were arguments about how some Senate seats were decided. Critics said that Fanmi Lavalas controlled the election commission. Aristide was then elected president later that year in the 2000 presidential election. Most opposition parties did not take part in this election.
The U.S. government claimed that very few people voted. But international observers said about 50% of people voted. CNN reported a 60% turnout, with over 92% voting for Aristide. The U.S. government used the election criticism to stop international aid to Haiti.
Second Time as President (2001–2004)
In 2003, Aristide asked France, Haiti's former colonizer, to pay Haiti $21 billion. This money was for payments Haiti had made to France from 1825 to 1947. These payments were to make up for French property, including enslaved people, that was taken during the Haitian Revolution.
The 2004 Coup d'état
Between 2001 and 2004, former army groups started an uprising. They killed many Lavalas supporters, officials, and regular people. The rebels took control of the northern part of the country. Eventually, they surrounded and then entered the capital city.
On 28 February 2004, Aristide was flown out of the country by the U.S., with help from Canada and France. The exact reasons for his departure are debated. Aristide and his bodyguard said he was forced out in a "new coup d'état by U.S. forces." Mrs. Aristide said the people who took him wore U.S. Special Forces uniforms.
The prime minister of Jamaica, P. J. Patterson, said that he questioned if Aristide's resignation was truly voluntary. He said it set a dangerous example for other democratically elected governments.
After Aristide left, his home was looted. Order was restored by Haitian police, armed rebels, and local groups. The Jamaican government helped Aristide and his family go to South Africa.
Life in Exile (2004–2011)
After being forced into exile, Aristide, his family, and bodyguards were welcomed in South Africa in mid-2004. He received a salary and staff from the South African government. He lived with his family in a government house in Pretoria.
In South Africa, Aristide became a research fellow at the University of South Africa. He learned the Zulu language. On 25 April 2007, he received a doctorate in African languages.
On 21 December 2007, Aristide gave a speech that was broadcast. He criticized the 2006 Haitian presidential election. He called it a "selection" where "the knife of treason was planted" in the back of the Haitian people.
Some high-ranking members of his party, Lavalas, faced violence after the election. Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine, a human rights activist and Lavalas member, disappeared in August 2007.
Calls for His Return
In 2008, a U.S. ambassador said that the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti was important. It helped prevent Haiti's government from being taken over by "populist" forces.
In 2006, René Préval, a former ally of Aristide, was elected president of Haiti. He said it would be possible for Aristide to return to Haiti.
On 16 December 2009, thousands of protesters marched in Port-au-Prince. They called for Aristide's return to Haiti. They also protested that his Fanmi Lavalas party was not allowed to participate in upcoming elections.
On 12 January 2010, a big earthquake hit Haiti. Aristide sent his sympathy to the victims. He said he wanted to return to help rebuild the country.
In February 2011, Aristide announced he would return to Haiti. This would happen once the Haitian government allowed him to get his Haitian passport. On 17 March 2011, Aristide left South Africa for Haiti. U.S. President Barack Obama had asked the South African president to delay Aristide's departure. This was to prevent him from returning before a presidential election on 20 March. Aristide's party was not allowed in the election. The U.S. worried his return could cause problems.
On Friday, 18 March 2011, he and his wife arrived at Port-au-Prince Airport. Thousands of supporters greeted them. He told the crowd: "The exclusion of Fanmi Lavalas is the exclusion of the Haitian people. In 1804, the Haitian revolution marked the end of slavery. Today, may the Haitian people end exiles and coups d’état, while peacefully moving from social exclusion to inclusion."
After Exile (2011–Present)
After Aristide returned to Haiti in 2011, he mostly stayed out of politics. On 12 September 2014, a judge ordered Aristide to stay under house arrest. This was part of a corruption investigation. Aristide's lawyers and supporters questioned if this order was legal.
In the elections of 1991 and 2000 (for Aristide) and 1995 and 2006 (for Rene Preval), about 60–70% of voters participated. After the 2010 earthquake, voter turnout dropped a lot, to about 20%. During this time, right-wing political groups gained power. In late 2016, Aristide returned to campaigning. He traveled the country to support Fanmi Lavalas candidates. His party said the election results were not fair.
What Aristide Achieved
Under President Aristide's leadership, the Haitian government made many important changes.
Improvements in Education
During the time of Lavalas governments, Jean-Bertrand Aristide and René Préval built many new schools. They built 195 new primary schools and 104 secondary schools. Before Aristide was elected in 1990, there were only 34 secondary schools in the whole country.
Lavalas also gave thousands of scholarships. These helped children afford to go to church or private schools. Between 2001 and 2004, the number of children in primary school went up to 72%. About 300,000 adults took part in reading and writing programs supported by Lavalas. This helped the adult literacy rate (the number of adults who can read and write) rise from 35% to 55%.
Advances in Health Care
Besides education, Aristide and Lavalas worked to improve public health care. They received help from Cuba. After Hurricane Georges hit in 1998, Cuba and Haiti made an agreement. Haitian doctors would be trained in Cuba. Also, Cuban doctors would work in rural areas of Haiti. By the time of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, 573 doctors had been trained in Cuba.
Even though Haiti faced a ban on international aid, the Lavalas government succeeded. They lowered the number of babies who died. They also reduced the percentage of underweight newborns. A successful program to prevent and treat AIDS was also started. This helped slow down the rate of new infections in Haiti.
Disbanding the Army and Paramilitary Groups
The Lavalas political plan was to create a civilian police force. They also wanted to get rid of Haiti's military and paramilitary groups. These groups had often been used to oppress people. Aristide's government started the first trials against paramilitary death squads. Many members were jailed after trials were shown on Haitian public television.
Trials were held for some wealthy people who had funded these groups. Reforming Haiti's security forces was a constant challenge for Lavalas. This was partly because the U.S. tried to put its allies into the police force. The Lavalas government also lacked money because of cuts in aid to Haiti.
His Beliefs
In 2000, Aristide published a book called The Eyes of the Heart: Seeking a Path for the Poor in the Age of Globalization. In this book, he said that the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund worked for the richest countries. He believed they did not truly help international development. Aristide called for "a culture of global solidarity" to end poverty. He saw this as a better way than the type of globalization that felt like neocolonialism (new forms of control by powerful countries) and neoliberalism (economic ideas that favor free markets).
Images for kids
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Jean-Bertrand Aristide returns to the National Palace in Port au Prince, Haiti during Operation Uphold Democracy in October 1994
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President Jean-Bertrand Aristide returns triumphantly to the National Palace at Port-au-Prince, Haiti
See also
In Spanish: Jean-Bertrand Aristide para niños
