Fanmi Lavalas

Fanmi Lavalas is a leftist 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 claim to support a policy of "growth with equity" based on Caribbean and Western European social democratic principles. Fanmi Lavalas governments claim to invest in education and health care and refused International Monetary Fund austerity measures.

Fanmi Lavalas was formed in 1996 as a split by Aristide from the smaller Struggling People's Party. 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. "Fanmi Lavalas" may be roughly translated into English as "Avalanche Family" or "Waterfall Family" (referring to the Biblical flood), but the name is almost never completely translated from Kréyòl, although it is sometimes given as "Lavalas Family".

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 Préval in his campaign as president. Lavalas candidates 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 are not available.