Haiti became the first independent Caribbean state when it threw off French colonial control in 1804. However, the country has been plagued by political instability for most of its history. Violence, instability and dictatorship have turned it into one of the poorest countries in the world and the least-developed country in the Western Hemisphere. After an armed rebellion led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti. Democratic rule was restored in May 2006 when Haiti finally inaugurated a democratically-elected president and parliament.