Martial Celestin - Haiti Observer Blog

Boniface Alexandre, born on July 31, 1936, was the 54th President of Haiti. He served as the acting Haitian President's between February 29, 2004 and May 14, 2006.

Boniface Alexandre was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court when his predecessor President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted by"2004 Haitian coup d'état". Thus, he was in normal lineage to become the President when Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigned on February 29, 2004.

Boniface Alexandre assumed the charge within a few hours of his resignation in a brief ceremony at the home of Prime Minister Yvon Neptune. Alexandre was raised by his uncle, former Haitian Prime Minister Martial Célestin. He trained himself as an expert lawyer, specializing in business contracts and marriage settlements and worked for twenty five years in a Port-au-Prince law firm named 'Cabinet Lamarre'. He was appointed in Haiti's Supreme Court in the 1990s and President Jean-Bertrand Aristide appointed him as the Chief Justice in 2002. As a Chief Justice, he fought against the incompetence and corruption in the judicial system and earned a reputation for fairness.

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Boniface Alexandre the 54th President of Haiti assumed office in the year 2004 and stepped down in the year 2006. He took over the post from Jean-Bertrand Aristide and he was succeeded by Rene Preval. Born on 31st 1936, he was groomed by his uncle, the first Prime Minister Martial Celestin of Haiti.
Honest Chief Justice

Boniface Alexandre was known for his honesty amidst the corrupt system of Haiti. He was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court when Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled the country. Within six hours he took charge of the country and declared himself as the President

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Leslie Francois Saint Roc Manigat was the full name of Leslie Manigat and he was born on August 16th 1930 in Port-au-Prince. He was an educator and a professor of world history and worked at the I'Universite' de Paris- VIII Vincennes.

An Academician

Leslie Manigat published articles in many Haitian newspapers. Even though his interest was in the field of education, he had a stint in the political stage of Haiti. He contested for the post of the President along with ten other candidates.

This election which was held on January 17th 1988 was a military held election and it was completely under their control. Leslie Manigat won with 50.29% of votes but the voter turnout was very poor, less than 10%. The military controlled election must have been the reason for the poor turnout.

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The Haitian Prime Minister heads the country's government and shares executive powers with the head of state. The holder of the Prime Minister post is appointed by the incumbent president and gets approval from the National assembly.

The Prime Minister has the responsibility of law enforcement vested upon him and works alongside the president to ensure national defense.

Previous Haitian Prime Ministers:

February 9, 1988 - June 20, 1988 - Martial Célestin

June 20, 1988 - February 13, 1991 - Post abolished

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