Michel Martelly is a politician, musician, and entrepreneur from Haiti. He is the President of Haiti at the moment. Martelly, well known by his stage name “Sweet Micky,” was one of Haiti’s most successful musicians for over a decade. His musical work in the Haitian compas style, a type of dance music with Creole lyrics, originally gained him attention. Martelly had a brief stint as a club owner later in his musical career, during which time he became active in Haitian politics. Martelly backed the coup against Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and when Aristide reclaimed power four years later, Martelly stayed away from Haiti for nearly a year. In 2010, he entered the Haitian presidential election as a candidate for the Repons Peyizan (Farmers’ Response Party) and won. Martelly’s election represented Haiti’s first peaceful transfer of power from one political party to another. One of Martelly’s first acts as president was to devise a plan to restore the military, which Aristide had banned. Martelly also organized a coalition with other foreign leaders to promote Haiti’s budgetary growth and stability, including former US President Bill Clinton. Martelly was accused of corruption later in his presidency. Some Haitian protesters have called for Martelly’s resignation because of his leadership.
Childhood and Adolescence
Michel Martelly was born to a middle-class family in Port-au-Prince on February 12, 1961. His father was a Shell Oil executive, while his maternal grandfather was a comedic troubadour who penned both political protest songs and apolitical music.
Martelly graduated from Saint Louis de Gonzague High School and enrolled in the Haitian Military Academy, but was expelled after only a few months.
Michel Martelly’s Career
Martelly relocated to Miami, Florida, in 1984 to attend college and work in the construction industry.
He returned to Haiti for a year in 1986, having completed only one semester of study, around the time of President Jean-Claude Duvalier’s exile.
Martelly returned to Haiti in 1988 after another spell in Miami. He began playing the keyboard in Port-au-Prince around this period.
Martelly’s first single, ‘Ooh La La,’ was released in 1988 and became a national hit.
Following the coup d’etat in Haiti in 1991, Martelly continued to perform in Port-au-Prince areas such as Petonville and Kenscoff, acquiring many followers for his music among the coup supporters.
He recorded fourteen studio albums and a few live CDs under the name Sweet Micky between 1988 and 2008.
Martelly performed at a protest against the UN official who was supposed to facilitate Aristide’s return to power in Haiti in 1992.
Following Aristide’s return as President in 1995, Martelly’s name surfaced on a “kill list” of known Aristide opponents, prompting him to spend nearly a year on the road.
Martelly became involved in different sorts of social action and help in 1997, including participating in the ‘Knowledge is Power’ educational music video campaign aimed at combating AIDS and founding the Rose et Blanc Foundation to fight poverty in Haiti.
Gerard Latortue, a friend of Martelly, became Prime Minister after the coup d’etat in 2004.
Martelly returned to Haiti with his family in 2007 after living in Miami with his family. He lost three houses and had to default on over $1 million in loans as a result of the move and the financial collapse.
Martelly ran for Haitian president in 2010, making it to the runoff after disputing the first count.
Martelly was elected on April 4, 2011, with 60 percent of the vote, defeating his opponent, Mirlande Manigat.
Martelly was sworn in as Haitian president on 14 May 2011, and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive resigned the next day, allowing Martelly to appoint his own Prime Minister.
He announced his plan to restore the Haitian military in August 2011, to mixed reviews.
Martelly teamed up with a group of corporate executives, bankers, and politicians, including Bill Clinton, to draft a strategy to revive Haiti’s economy in September 2011.
He was charged in April 2012 with accepting a bribe in exchange for awarding a contract to a Dominican Republic construction company.
Senate elections were postponed from May 2012 until October 26, 2014, and then again indefinitely. This sparked widespread public indignation. Many of the demonstrations were directed at Martelly’s poor leadership in allowing the postponement to continue.
Protesters descended on Port-au-Prince on January 17, 2015, to protest the dissolution of Parliament and demand the president’s resignation.
Achievements and Awards
Martelly received the Grand Cross with Gold Breast Star of the Order of Merit of Duarte, Sanchez, and Mella of the Dominican Republic in March 2012.
Personal History and Legacy
Martelly married Sophia Saint-Remy, his then-girlfriend, in Miami, Florida, in 1987. Olivier, Sandro, Yani, and Malaika are the couple’s four children.
Martelly claims he was expelled from the Haitian Military Academy as a young man after reportedly impregnating a general’s goddaughter.
Richard Morse, another Haitian artist, and hotel manager, is Martelly’s cousin.
Martelly’s theatrical manner as a musical performer was one of his trademarks, with him regularly dressed in drag or partially stripping onstage.
Estimated Net worth
Michel Martelly is one of the wealthiest politicians and one of the most popular. Michel Martelly’s net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.