The BATÒN JÈNÈS LA movement, representing the voice of a clear-sighted, responsible youth resolutely focused on the future, presents this critical analysis of the Haitian Draft Constitution. This text, drafted without the participation of over 90% of the population, constitutes an insult to popular sovereignty and a direct threat to the democratic, economic, and institutional future of Haiti. We see in it not an act of refoundation, but a tool of exclusion serving restricted interests.
- A Constitution of Exclusion
This draft Constitution was written by a restricted circle of technocrats and political actors, outside of any popular, participatory, or transparent process. By refusing to include unions, community organizations, youth, women, the diaspora, farmers, workers, independent intellectuals, and all the vital forces of the nation, this text perpetuates a caste-based, closed, and disconnected governance. This results in a deep sense of betrayal and confiscation of popular sovereignty.
- A Total Absence of Rupture and Refoundation
This Constitution does not break with the old order. It renews the same weakened institutions, the same inefficient bureaucratic practices, and the same power dynamics. No real renewal of the civil service, no mechanism for strengthened accountability, no serious oversight of the executive power. It proposes neither a modern state nor a mechanism to rebuild trust between governors and governed. It perpetuates disorder under a new facade.
- Partisan Anarchy: A Forgotten Institutional Bomb
Haiti currently has over 500 political parties. This absurd inflation is a symptom of a sick political system: without regulation, without representativeness, without ideology, dominated by clientelism and personal ambitions. Yet, the new Constitution offers no corrective. It completely ignores this central issue. No provision sets a minimum threshold for representativeness. No mechanism limits the recognition of parties to those with a real presence. No framework for public or private financing is provided. No plan encourages party mergers or the construction of strong ideological poles. By maintaining this chaos, the Constitution guarantees permanent instability and the fragility of future governments.
- A Democracy Without People
The proposed democratic mechanisms are technocratic, elitist, and disconnected from popular realities. The new Constitution establishes no effective citizen control, no right to recall elected officials, no form of grassroots participatory democracy. It abandons local communities to fend for themselves, without resources or effective powers. It neutralizes the role of youth, stifles local initiatives, and prevents the emergence of a new political class from the people.
- A Weak State, Incapable of Attracting Investments
The Constitution creates no tools to build a strong, modern, attractive, and sovereign state. It provides for neither the digitalization of institutions, nor reform of the fiscal system, nor a long-term economic development strategy. It does not establish a secure and transparent framework to welcome investments. It ignores the technological revolution, does not mention digital transformation, and does not integrate the diaspora, local communities, or development hubs. It leaves Haiti on the sidelines of global developments.
Conclusion: A Constitution of Continuity, Not Renaissance
By refusing to address the roots of Haiti's problems, this Constitution proves to be a maneuver of continuity, not refoundation. It offers neither a better future for youth nor a lasting way out of the crisis. BATÒN JÈNÈS LA therefore calls for a rejection of this text in its current form and proposes the organization of a genuine national process of refoundation, inclusive, transparent, and participatory. Haiti needs an act of renaissance, not a semblance of reform. Youth is ready to take over, with audacity, vision, and dignity.
Port-au-Prince, May 22, 2025
Joseph Georges DUPERVAL
General Coordinator
BATON JENÈS LA
