Haiti's chaos after rising fuel prices



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Haiti. Eight and a half years after the earthquake and tsunami that destroyed the island and left 316,000 dead, he was plunged into a difficult economic situation that was difficult to recover. So much so that one of the policies of the president, Jovenel Moses in power since February 2017, was to accelerate the economic growth of the island. To achieve this, he proposed measures that met the expectations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but not citizenship, so that he faced the challenge of having a budget accepted by the people , politicians and the IMF.

Finally, the president announced an increase in the cost of fuel. Gasoline rose by 38%, diesel by 47% and kerosene by 51%, another petroleum derivative. These increases led to two days of protests by the transport sector, which supported the implications these costs would have for their work.

In this regard, Mauricio Velásquez Professor of the Government School of the Universidad de los Andes, explains that the economic structure of all countries depends on the essence. Velásquez compares what happened in Haiti with the "gasolinazo" in Mexico, or the "caracazo" in Venezuela, when the increase in fuel provoked a similar social mobilization, facts that show the fact that there is no fuel. delicate economy of houses in the region. 19659003] The increases were accompanied by the elimination of fuel subsidies. And Haiti and the Dominican Republic do not produce oil derivatives, so their costs are much higher. In addition, the new economic policies of Moses are considering the elimination of other subsidies such as electricity, which could trigger new protests from citizens.

The Economist A Alfredo Bateman explains that the subsidies caused Haiti's economic deficit, a revenue gap that the President is trying to heal to enter the IMF. However, he questions the fact that the increase was made suddenly, without consensus with other sectors of society, aspect that has produced a stronger reaction among citizens, who receive all the economic implications government decisions.

He explains that in a country as unstable as Haiti "have the support and support of the Fund in case of international or economic crisis is important". The increases are part of an agreement with the IMF, through which the government expects to comply with the requirements necessary to enter this body.

After a visit to the country in June this year, the entity explained that the prospects for the growth of Haiti is positive, with a GDP that accelerates "slightly driven by public investment "and whose growth could reach 2% in 2018.

The IMF celebrates the medium-term development prospects of the country, which respond to the structural reforms that the government has implemented, and expects that by 2019 economic activity will be accelerated through public and private investment. However, the experts consulted by EL COLOMBIANO explain that these measures of economic growth have affected the population, most of whom live in poverty.

However, the country's economy is prone to risks due to climatic aspects. and others related to fluctuations in world oil prices. For this reason, the economic instability of Haiti will continue to be a new one until the government finds a way out that appeals to both the IMF and the people.

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