Haiti sees large anti-government protest

03-03-2012 • ALJAZEERA

Several thousand supporters of former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide have filled the streets of Port-au-Prince, the country's capital, on the eighth anniversary of his toppling.

In the largest demonstration against the country's current leader, Michel Martelly, since he took office in May, demonstrators on Wednesday accused Martelly of not doing enough to improve their lives.

The crowd made a number of demands, including that Martelly prove that he does not hold dual citizenship, which could bar him from office, and that the UN peacekeeping mission leave the country.

The large protest points to mounting political strife between the president and his critics as the country struggles to rebuild from the 2010 earthquake. It also illustrates the kind of support that still exists for the former president.

Aristide, a former Catholic priest turned populist president, still wields influence since returning to Haiti last year, after seven years of exile in South Africa.