The Struggling People's Organization (french: Organisation du peuple en lutte, ht, Òganizasyon Pèp k ap Lite), called until 1996 Lavalas Political Organization (french: Organisation Politique Lavalas, OPL), is a
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
an political party originating from the
Lavalas political movement. Formed in 1995, the
pro-Aristide Lavalas split from the party in 1996 forming their own
Fanmi Lavalas
Fanmi Lavalas ( en, Lavalas Family, Lavalas is Haitian Creole for ''flood''), is a social-democratic political party in Haiti. Its leader is former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. It has been a powerful force in Haitian politics since ...
party, at this time the OPL's name was changed from ''Organisation Politique Lavalas'' to its present appellation. This split meant that few of the
intelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the i ...
that had previously supported
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide (born 15 July 1953) is a Haitian former Salesian priest and politician who became Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince ...
ended up in the new Lavalas (or Fanmi Lavalas).
The OPL formed a majority of the Haitian Parliament from 1995 to 1997, and named
Rosny Smarth
Rosny Smarth (born October 19, 1940) was Prime Minister of Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antill ...
as
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
. The OPL was an important supporter of privatization and economic austerity measures, looking to lay off thousands of public sector workers to please internatio