1957 Haitian general election

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1957 Haitian general election
22 September 1957
Presidential election
 
Nominee François Duvalier Louis Déjoie
Party PUN PAEN
Popular vote 680,509 249,956
Percentage 72.36% 26.58%
President before election

Antonio Thrasybule Kébreau (Chairman of the Military Council)
Military

 Elected President

François Duvalier
National Unity Party

General elections were held in Haiti on 22 September 1957.[1] Former Minister of Labour François Duvalier won the presidential election running under the National Unity Party banner,[2] defeating Louis Déjoie,[3] as well as independent moderate Clement Jumelle, who had dropped out on election day in a cloud of suspicions that the army was monitoring the election in favour of Duvalier. Former head of state Daniel Fignolé, considered a champion of poor blacks, was considered ineligible as he had been forcibly exiled months before the election, allegedly kidnapped.

Supporters of Duvalier also won the Chamber of Deputies elections.[4] Following the election, Déjoie went into exile in Cuba along with his supporters, fearing repression from Duvalier's supporters.

Over the next few years, Duvalier consolidated his power step by step, culminating in two sham "re-elections," the second of which made him president for life in 1964. Haiti was not to see another even partly free election until 1988, two years after the fall of Duvalier's son Jean-Claude.

Voters cut the nail of the little finger of the left hand and dipped it in indelible ink to mark that the person voted.[5]

Results

President

CandidatePartyVotes%
François DuvalierNational Unity Party680,50972.36
Louis DéjoieNational Agricultural Industrial Party249,95626.58
Clement JumelleNational Party9,9801.06
Total940,445100.00
Source: Nohlen

Chamber of Deputies

PartySeats
Duvalier supporters35
Déjoie supporters2
Total37
Source: Nohlen

References

  1. Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p381 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6
  2. Haiti: Political Parties Country Studies
  3. AvSteeve Coupeau, The history of Haiti
  4. Nohlen, p389
  5. "You Have One Week Left In Which To Grow Finger Nail". Haiti Sun. 15 September 1957. Retrieved 17 July 2018.