Michel Martelly, Haiti’s New Pop Star President, Ain’t Always So Sweet

On March 20, after a fraudulent first-round of voting and weeks of riots, Haitians overwhelmingly elected a 50-year-old former pop star as president.Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly strolled into office with two-thirds of the votes, promising radical change. Since retiring from the stage in 2007, Martelly has tried to shed his...
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On March 20, after a fraudulent first-round of voting and weeks of riots, Haitians overwhelmingly elected a 50-year-old former pop star as president.

Michel “Sweet Micky” Martelly strolled into office with two-thirds of the votes, promising radical change. Since retiring from the stage in 2007, Martelly has tried to shed his self-proclaimed title as the “bad boy” of Haitian compas music to lead his earthquake-ravaged country out of systemic poverty.

But Martelly’s reformation isn’t as complete as he’d like Haitians — and international aid donors — to think.


Check out this week’s Metro for more on Martelly. If his musical career is anything to judge him by, his tenure in office may not end up so sweet after all.

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