Fanmi Lavalas
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Fanmi Lavalas is a populist social-democratic political party in Haiti. Former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is a member of the party, which has been a powerful force in Haitian politics since 1991. Its governments supported a policy of "growth with equity" based upon Carribbean and Western European social democratic principles. FL governments have invested in education and health care while refusing IMF austerity measures. Fanmi Lavalas was formed in 1996 as a split by Aristide and the poor masses from the smaller neo-liberal elite Struggling People's Party. Two main reasons for the creation of Fanmi Lavalas are known: (1) to allow the Lavalas movement to remain inclusive; (2) to prevent rival politicians from taking over the movement's leadership from Aristide and other more left-wing leaders. A coup backed by the elites and the Haitian military overthrew Aristide's first government, in 1991; the overthrow of the second Aristide administration in 2004 has been suspected by some of being engineered by similar elements.
Lavalas endorsed Marc Bazin as its presidential candidate for the 2006 elections.[link] Bazin did poorly, but Lavalas candidates fared better in the parliamentary elections. The party won 8.15% of the popular vote in the 7 February 2006 Senate elections and 2 out of 30 Senators. The results of the election of the Chamber of Deputies are not available. Lavalas now forms part of the governing coalition under Jacques-Edouard Alexis.[link]
"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."
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