He began his 5-year term in March. The Interior Ministry administers the country's police departments and the prison system and is responsible for domestic security and public safety. The principal human rights problems continued to be police abuse and mistreatment of prisoners. The economy comprises a mixture of private enterprises and state entities and is heavily dependent on agricultural exports and agroindustry. Private property rights are respected.
Prison conditions remain poor, and professionalism in police ranks remained weak.
Court cases often take many years, and failure to adjudicate cases expeditiously contributed to human rights problems in several areas. A Public Security Law passed in July addressed a number of these issues. Implementation of the law, however, could face institutional delays. Discrimination against women continued, and no steps were taken to address the discrimination faced by the black minority. There were no reports of political or other extrajudicial killings.