president - Haiti Observer Blog

Former Haitian President Henry Namphy has his wishes granted. During his exile in the Dominican Republic, Lt. Gen. Henri Namphy made it clear that he never wanted to set foot in Haiti. To the dismay of many, the former Haitian President will not be buried in Haiti but rather in the Dominican Republic.

His body will be put to ground in the Dominican Republic, his land of exile. he body will be exhibited at La Paz Chapel, of Funerarium Blandino which is located at Abraham Lincoln Avenue in Santo Domingo on Saturday, June 30 at 2pm. He will be buried Sunday July 1st at 4 pm at Cristo Redentor in the Dominican Republic.

Read more →  

Jacques Thimoléon Stevenson, the deputy of the coastal town Petit-Goâve has been elected as the new President of the Chamber of Deputies on January 15, 2014. He will take the rein of former President Jean Tolbert Alexis, the deputy of Croix-des-Bouquets. The new President Jacques Thimoléon was the former President of the pro-Martelly majority bloc "Parliamentarians for Stability and Progress" (PSP) in the Lower House, the seat has been presently replaced by Altès Toussaint, the deputy of Saint-Marc.

It is interesting to note that PSP had remained constantly supportive to the Martelly-Lamothe government during the tenure of Me Thimoléon. Thimoléon Stevenson is a good leader who as per common belief may be successful to find a way to oust the enemies of President Martelly. He is also a member of many other important committees like Decentralization and border Development, Commission Interior and Local government and a member of the Commission for Justice and Public Safety, of the Foreign Affairs Commission, Cults and Haitians living abroad.

Read more →  

The Former Dominican President Rafael Hipólito Mejía made public his opinion about the 168-13 judgment of the Constitutional Court denationalizing Dominican Dominicans of Haitian origin. It was not pretty.

Mezanmi Konyè-a Se Rat kay Kap mange pay Kay

Rafael Hipólito Mejía said that this judgment is "a shame and a disgrace"; that he was "sorry". this was one of the strongest critics so far of the 168-13 judgment of the Constitutional Court in Dominican Republic and it came from a former president of that country.

Who is Rafael Hipólito Mejía:

Read more →  

Born a member of the gens de couleur libres, Alexandre Sabes Petion (1770 - 1818) began life between two worlds. It is a dichotomy he would continue, further marking his legacy as an instrumental force behind the struggle for independence of two lands, his own beloved Haiti, and the republic of Gran Colombia.

Alexandre Petion began his career, after an expensive education in France, by joining the fight to force the British out of Saint-Domingue between 1798 and 1799. He would subsequently fight on the side of the mulattos against Toussaint L'Ouverture and the blacks, and was exiled to France when the rebellion ended; he returned soon after with General Leclerc and his assemblage of warships and troops. In 1802, he joined the nationalist force and gave his support to Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the future proclaimer of the Haitian Independence and self-declared ruler for life of the newly formed country.

Read more →  

Francois C. Antoine Simon (1843 - 1923) was the 18th Haitian President between 6 December 1908 and 3 August 1911. He succeeded his predecessor, the autocratic President Pierre Nord Alexis, by leading a rebellion against him.

President Simon had little formal education but with his foresight, appointed a six member cabinet team for the well being of the country. He was a respected and ambitious president who introduced many beneficial reforms for the development and rebuilding of Haiti. His one of the greatest achievement was to introduce an Act that enabled many Haitians in exile to return. President Simon constantly strove to improve the agriculture in the country.

Read more →  

Elie Lescot became Haiti's 31st president in 1941. Born into the mulatto elite class, Lescot began his political career after the death of his wife. He served in the Chamber of Deputies, Parliament's lower house, later becoming a political appointee under presidents Borno and Vincent.

His position as Ambassador to the Dominican Republic (DR) led him to become an ally of DR President Trujillo. Trujillo's political capital helped Lescot win the presidency, despite the Chamber of Deputies opposition of him.

Elie Lescot immediately wielded power by installing himself as Commander of the Military Guard and populating government posts with Caucasian and mulatto elites. Haiti's majority black populace detested him for his prejudice.

Read more →  

Dumarsais Estime, Haiti's 33rd president, held office for four years. His presidency is notable because he was the first black leader elected after the U.S. occupation ended in 1934.

Although Estimé married a mulatto elite, his determined educated blacks were to make up the majority of his administration's political appointees. Reversing mulatto elite influence, he championed an education initiative, building schools in poverty-ridden villages and offering advanced teacher-training. This effort created a 45% rise in elementary school attendance.

Dumarsais Estime's agenda included road-construction projects, literacy programs, and improving community services. He also amended the Constitution to provide workers the right to form unions and raised the minimum wage.

Read more →  

He was first elected to the post of Haiti's President with a staggering 88% of the popular vote. René Préval again ran for president as the Lespwa candidate but, unlike his first election, this proved not to be a clear-cut victory. When early voting results were released on February 9, they indicated a 60% favorable voting for Préval. This number slipped to 48.7% as more ballots came in and a run-off became necessary.

There were celebrations soon after for the former president, but his comment on February 14, that fraud was at play in the vote counting and that he should be declared the winner of the first round, caused a series of protests to erupt. Port-au-Prince was crippled by torched barricades and protestors stormed the Hotel Montana, demanding the results of the election. Finally, on the 16th, after excluding blank ballots from the count, President Préval officially won his second term as the Haitian head of state with 51.15% of the votes.

Read more →  

Faustin-Élie Soulouque was ushered into office as Haiti's 9th President in 1847. He was installed by advocates of the Boyerist movement as a figurehead ruler. But he soon rebelled, staging a coup against his supporters and turning his government into a dictatorship. Faustin ensured his totalitarian rule through devotion of a citizen militia, and finally persuaded Parliament to crown him Emperor of Haiti in 1849.

As emperor Faustin-Élie Soulouque ruled with a centralist government and created a black nobility with dukes, marquis, counts, barons, and nobles of lower rank. He formed military, civil, and religious orders, and created a Royal Academy of Art.

Read more →  

Here is a picture of three major players in the history of haiti: Dumarsais Estime, Paul Magloire and Francois Duvalier

Dumarsais Estime came into power in haiti following a seven-month period of political wrangling. His administration was marked by confrontation with the American government.

The Noiriste government of Dumarsais Estime was noticed by many in the international community. Most Government jobs during his administration, specifically cabinet positions, were reserved for black professionals instead of members of the Mulato elite.

Focus was also on education where he built many provincial schools and expanded training for teachers

Read more →