Michel Martelly, Haiti's New Pop Star President, Ain't Always So Sweet

Michael E. Miller

Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly, Haiti's new president.

​On March 20, after a fraudulent first-round of voting and weeks of riots, Haitians overwhelmingly elected a 50-year-old former pop star as president.

Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly strolled into office with two-thirds of the votes, promising radical change. Since retiring from the stage in 2007, Martelly has tried to shed his self-proclaimed title as the "bad boy" of Haitian compas music to lead his earthquake-ravaged country out of systemic poverty.

But Martelly's reformation isn't as complete as he'd like Haitians -- and international aid donors -- to think.

Check out this week's Metro for more on Martelly. If his musical career is anything to judge him by, his tenure in office may not end up so sweet after all.

"I Don't Care" (excerpt)
If I catch them on Bicentenaire
We're going to spank them
Ruthless, Micky is ruthless
When they attack me, Micky gets ruthless
That's how we are
If you don't like it, get out!

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