Heart Attack - Haiti Observer Blog

Jean-Claude Duvalier, the self proclaimed Haitian "President for Life" died from a heart attack on October 4th, 2014 at the age of 63. Duvalier, at the age of 19, inherited power from his father Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier and became the President of Haiti from 1971 to 1986. His regime is considered as one of the darkest, brutal and corrupt regime in Haiti. His father was a doctor (that is why his son was as known as 'Baby Doc') who was more ruthless and corrupt than his son. He established 'Noirisme' i.e., uniting the Haitian black majority with African roots against the mulatto elite in the country. Both father and son ruled the country with iron fists, clamping down on dissidents, crushing opposition, making own tyrannical rules and pocketing public money. His son Duvalier had extensively used a secret police force named 'Tonton Macoutes' which was heavily accused of torturing, kidnapping, and killing up to 30,000 political opponents during the 1960s and 1970s.

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Haiti, the poorest of all countries in the Western Hemisphere, has seen many Presidents since its independence in 1804. Most of them worked for their own personal benefits and some turned out to be dictators. Many of the Presidents eventually met a gruesome end but one President whose tale is sung till date was Louis Mondestin Florvil Hyppolite.

Louis Mondestin Florvil Hyppolite or popularly known as Florvil Hyppolite, was born in 1828. The constitutional council of Haiti elected and installed him as the President of Haiti in the year 1889. On 17th October 1889, Louis Mondestin Florvil Hyppolite took charge of the office of President. He was a general and a career soldier but it was also reported that Florvil Hyppolite was deeply influenced by Victoire Jean-Baptiste. Victoire was the mistress of Tirésias Simon Sam. After the death of Florvil Hyppolite, Tirésias Simon Sam became the President of Haiti.

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