's regime was
characterized by the suppression of political opposition and the
purging of political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s
and early 1990s failed to unseat him. In 1994 VIEIRA was elected
president in the country's first free elections. A military mutiny
and resulting civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in
May 1999. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over
power to opposition leader Kumba YALA, after he was elected
president in transparent polling. In September 2003, after only
three years in office, YALA was ousted by the military in a
bloodless coup, and businessman Henrique ROSA was sworn in as
interim president. In 2005, former President VIEIRA was re-elected
president pledging to pursue economic development and national
reconciliation.

Guyana
Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana
had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to
black settlement of urban areas and the importation of indentured
servants from India to work the sugar plantations. This
ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent
politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, and
since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented
governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is
considered the country's first free and fair election since
independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Jane
JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her
successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001 and again in 2006.

Haiti
The native Taino Amerindians - who inhabited the island of
Hispaniola when it was discovered by COLUMBUS in 1492 - were
virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the
early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola,
and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the
island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on
forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest
in the Caribbean, but only through the heavy importation of African
slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th
century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint
L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first
black republic to declare its independence in 1804. The poorest
country in the West