Aristide first won the presidency in a landslide electoral victory in 1990. The army ousted him in September 1991, and a U.S. military invasion three years later restored him to power. Constitutionally barred from running for a consecutive five-year term, Aristide stepped down in 1996 and handed power to his chosen successor, Rene Preval. About 80 percent of Haiti's 8 million residents live in abject poverty, with more than 60 percent going to bed hungry every night. Haiti has earned a dubious reputation as a new hot spot for Colombian cocaine smugglers and money launderers, while a recent crime wave has left many Haitians fearful of venturing out at night.
Government institutions remain ineffective and plagued by charges of corruption.
Downtown streets are strewn with piles of garbage and open sewers, while much of the population lacks basic sanitation and health care. The money has been withheld in recent years because of Haiti's long-festering political crisis.