By late August 2011, President Martelly had spent his first 100 days in office without completing his first objective: forming a government. Parliament, led by opposition, turned down his choice for prime minister twice. This left Haiti without a functioning government a year and a half after an earthquake devastated the country, stalling reconstruction efforts.

Other nations, who responded to the earthquake by offering the country aid, have grown impatience. For example, the neighboring Dominican Republic has started deporting Haitian refugees and turning others away at the border. In October 2011, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) received over 450 complaints from people in the Dominican Republic who said their citizenship had been revoked. The complaints came from people who have been recognized as citizens for decades. The IACHR condemned the policy, but on December 1st, the Dominican Republics Supreme Court rejected a Dominican-born males request for a birth certificate so he could relocate to the United States. The new policy could affect some 200,000 Dominicans of Haitian origin.

On October 5, 2011, Garry Conille was appointed prime minister by the Haitian Parliament. His confirmation came months after Jean-Max Bellerives resignation from the position and after the Senate rejected the nominations of Bernard Gousse and Daniel Rouzier. Conille became the 16th and youngest Prime Minster since the countrys 1987 Constitution.