View source for Fanmi Lavalas

{{more citations needed|date=September 2018}}
{{Infobox political party
| colorcode        = {{party color|Fanmi Lavalas}}
| name             = Lavalas Family
| native_name      = Famille Lavalas<br />Fanmi Lavalas
| logo             = Fanmi Lavalas.jpg
| leader           = [[Jean-Bertrand Aristide]]
| foundation       = 30 October 1996
| dissolution      = 
| split            = [[Lavalas Political Organization]]
| headquarters     = HT6110 [[Port-au-Prince]], [[Ouest (department)|Ouest]], Haiti
| ideology         = [[Social democracy]]<br />[[Populism]]
| position         = [[Centre-left politics|Centre-left]]
| international    = 
| seats1_title     = [[Chamber of Deputies (Haiti)|Chamber of Deputies]]
| seats1           = {{Composition bar|0|119|{{party color|Fanmi Lavalas}}}}
| seats2_title     = [[Senate (Haiti)|Senate]]
| seats2           = {{Composition bar|0|30|{{party color|Fanmi Lavalas}}}}
| colors           = {{Color box|{{party color|Fanmi Lavalas}}|border=darkgray}} [[Blue]]
| website          = 
| country          = Haiti
}}
'''Fanmi Lavalas''' ({{langx|en|Lavalas Family}}; ''lavalas'' is [[Haitian Creole]] for '[[avalanche]]' or '[[flood]]'
<ref>Wilentz, Amy. [https://time.com/archive/6718771/more-than-a-little-priest/ More Than A Little Priest]. ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', October 14, 1991.</ref>) is a social-democratic [[political party]] in [[Haiti]]. Its leader is former Haitian President [[Jean-Bertrand Aristide]]. It has been a powerful force in Haitian politics since 1991.  Fanmi Lavalas governments advocate a policy of "growth with equity" based on Western European [[social democratic]] principles. Fanmi Lavalas governments have emphasised investment in education and health care as their priorities and have refused [[International Monetary Fund]] [[austerity measure]]s.

==History==
Lavalas emerged as a powerful social movement in the late 1980s,<ref>[https://www.metamute.org/editorial/articles/damning-flood Damming the Flood], ''Mute Magazine'',  14 October 2018</ref> and it backed Jean Bertrand Aristide's election campaign in 1990. The establishment of the Lavalas movement as a formal political party, renamed Fanmi Lavalas, took place in 1996 as a split by Aristide from the [[Struggling People's Party]] (OPL) over the question of his resumption of the three years he lost in exile following the 1991 coup <ref>{{Cite web|title=Haiti Background Note |date=January 2008 |publisher=U.S. Department of State |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/haiti/99910.htm |df=dmy}}</ref> Two main reasons for its creation are known: (1) to allow the Lavalas movement to remain inclusive while opposing the [[neo-liberal]] policies of the foreign-influenced OPL, which was one of the conditions for Aristide's return to power in 1994; (2) to prevent rival politicians from taking over the movement's leadership from Aristide and other more left-wing leaders. The [[Haitian military]] overthrew Aristide's first government in 1991.<ref name="weiner">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/14/world/cia-formed-haitian-unit-later-tied-to-narcotics-trade.html?pagewanted=1|author2=Time Weiner|title=C.I.A. Formed Haitian Unit Later Tied to Narcotics Trade|work = New York Times|date = 14 November 1993 | first1=Howard W. | last1=French | access-date=6 May 2010}}</ref> "Fanmi Lavalas" may be roughly translated into English as "Avalanche Family" or "Waterfall Family" (referring to the Biblical flood),<ref>[https://www.metamute.org/editorial/articles/damning-flood Damming the Flood], ''Mute Magazine'',  14 October 2018</ref> but the name is almost never completely translated from [[Haitian Creole]], although it is sometimes given as "Lavalas Family". It was registered officially as a political party on 30 October 1996, and on 14 February 1997 it was recognized by the electoral authorities.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.haiticulture.ch/haiti_partis_politiques.html |title= Partis Politiques Enregistrés et Reconnus |publisher= HaitiCulture.ch |language= fr |access-date= 2015-06-14 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141011064032/http://www.haiticulture.ch/haiti_partis_politiques.html |archive-date= 2014-10-11 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

[[2006 Haitian elections|Elections]] were set for 2006 by the Interim Government, which was established by the governments of Canada, the US, and France. Certain members of Fanmi Lavalas claimed that [[Marc Bazin]] was the Lavalas candidate. However, its grassroots supporters overwhelmingly supported [[René Garcia Préval]] in his campaign as president.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}  Lavalas candidates [[election boycott|boycotted the election]] for the most part, but its voters supported the emergence of Preval's [[Lespwa]] party. The results of the election of the 7 February and 21 April 2006 [[Chamber of Deputies of Haïti|Chamber of Deputies]] are not available.

===Election exclusion===
The performance of the Fanmi Lavalas party in Haitian elections has been difficult to measure since the 2004 coup d'état that toppled it from power as it has been repeatedly excluded from the democratic process.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1140321&lang=eng_news |title=US lawmaker criticizes Haiti election exclusions |access-date=2010-01-13 |archive-date=2011-06-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604034600/http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1140321&lang=eng_news |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was again excluded from participation in the [[Haitian general election, 2010–2011|2010–2011 Haitian general election]] by the electoral council after the candidates did not receive the necessary votes.<ref>[https://www.voanews.com/a/haitian-president-marks-independence-with-pledge-of-fair-elections-80488452/163720.html ''Haitian President Marks Independence With Pledge of Fair Elections''], [[Voice of America]]</ref>

===2015 presidential and legislative election===
[[Conseil Electoral Provisoire|CEP]] accepted Lavalas' request to contest election in the [[2015 Haitian presidential election|2015 election]]. In highly controversial elections that were forced to be rerun due to credible charges of electoral fraud, the party's presidential candidate, Maryse Narcisse only received 110,449 votes, or 7.32% of popular votes. The party's legislature candidates received 5 seat out of 85 already elected seats in the [[2015 Haitian parliamentary election|2015 parliamentary election]], a second round will be held in December 27. The process and outcome of the 2015-2016 elections are still seen as controversial and are widely viewed as having damaged the credibility of the government of President [[Jovenel Moise]] and the [[Parti Haïtien Tèt Kale]] (Bald-head party).

==Members of Committee==
Youseline Augustin Bell - Committee of Finance, Jacob François - Commission of Information, Majolie Zéphirin - Commission of Information, Jean Luc Bell - Commission of Youth. Members: Louis Bonnet, Ernst Montoban, Jerry Jean Louis, Jean Pierre Barthol, Gary Servius, Claudine Janvier, Philippe André Jacques, Bazelais François, Fritz Péan, Roosevelt Goguette, Abel Moise, Vital Tholerme, Bellefleur Jean, Romane Joseph, Jean Elie Pierre-Louis, Rivière Dantès, Tony Désir, André Joseph

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{Citation|last=Hallward|first=Peter|title=Damming the Flood: Haiti, Aristide, and the Politics of Containment|publisher=Verso Books|place=London|year=2007|isbn=978-1-84467-106-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/dammingfloodhait00hall}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060110071204/http://www.hayti.net/tribune/ Fanmi Lavalas Commission of Communication]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090715025214/http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46537 Haiti: Fanmi Lavalas Banned, Voter Apprehension Widespread]. Inter Press Service, April 2008, [[Jeb Sprague]].
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20091128053633/http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~jhsprague/Jeb_Sprague_2008_NACLA.pdf The Fanmi Lavalas Political Project - Review of three books]. NACLA Report on the Americas. November–December 2008. Issue Vol. 41, No. 6. By Jeb Sprague.
{{Haitian political parties}}

[[Category:1996 establishments in Haiti]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1996]]
[[Category:Political parties in Haiti]]
[[Category:Shack dwellers' movements]]
[[Category:Social democratic parties in North America]]
[[Category:Socialism in Haiti]]