Ernesto Zedillo vs Jean-Pierre Boyer

Days after President Ernesto Zedillo took office, the Mexican peso collapsed, triggering a severe financial crisis. The government devalued the peso, and the U.S. led a $50 billion bailout. The crisis caused a deep recession and widespread hardship.

Zedillo's government created the FOBAPROA fund to rescue failing banks after the peso crisis. The bailout cost taxpayers an estimated $100 billion and was later criticized for corruption and for converting private bank debt into public debt.

Zedillo pushed through electoral reforms that created an independent Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) and allowed for fairer elections. These reforms ended 71 years of PRI dominance and led to the opposition victory in 2000.

Jean-Pierre Boyer led Haitian forces into the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo, unifying the entire island of Hispaniola under Haitian rule. This ended the short-lived independent state of Spanish Haiti and established Boyer's control over the whole island for 22 years.

Boyer signed an ordinance with France recognizing Haitian independence in exchange for a 150 million franc indemnity to compensate former French colonists. This massive debt crippled Haiti's economy for generations and was later reduced to 90 million francs.

Boyer implemented the Rural Code, a set of laws forcing Haitian peasants to remain on plantations and work under state supervision. The code restricted movement, required labor passes, and tied workers to the land, effectively recreating a system of forced labor.

A rebellion led by Charles Rivi