Leslie François Saint Roc Manigat was a Haitian politician who was elected as President of Haiti in a tightly controlled military held election in January 1988. He served as President for only a few months, from February 1988 to June 1988, before being ousted by the military in a coup d'état.
Matthieu Prosper Avril is a Haitian political figure who was President of Haiti from 1988 to 1990. A trusted member of François Duvalier's Presidential Guard and adviser to Jean-Claude Duvalier, Lt. Gen. Avril led the September 1988 Haitian coup d'état against a transition military government installed after Jean-Claude Duvalier's 1986 overthrow. He was President until March 1990, in a period which according to Amnesty International was "marred by serious human rights violations". He was arrested in 2001, but released in March 2004 after the 2004 Haitian coup d'état overthrew Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Henri Namphy was a Haitian general and political figure who served as President of Haiti's interim ruling body, the National Council of Government, from 7 February 1986 to 7 February 1988. He served again as President of Haiti from 20 June 1988 after the June 1988 coup that he led, until his deposition on September 17, 1988 in the September coup.
Hérard Abraham was a Haitian military officer and politician who served as the acting President of Haiti in 1990, helping to lead its democratic transition.
General elections were held in Haiti on 7 February 2006 to elect the replacements for the interim government of Gérard Latortue, which had been put in place after the 2004 Haiti rebellion. The elections were delayed four times, having originally been scheduled for October and November 2005. Voters elected a president, all 99 seats in the Chamber of Deputies of Haiti and all 30 seats in the Senate of Haiti. Voter turnout was around 60%. Run-off elections for the Chamber of Deputies of Haiti were held on 21 April, with around 28% turnout.
Jean-Claude Bajeux was a Haitian political activist and professor of Caribbean literature. For many years he was director of the Ecumenical Center for Human Rights based in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, and a leader of the National Congress of Democratic Movements, a moderate socialist political party also known as KONAKOM. He was Minister of Culture during Jean-Bertrand Aristide's first term as President of Haiti.
Martial Lavaud Célestin was named Prime Minister of Haïti by President Leslie Manigat in February 1988 under the provisions of the 1987 Constitution, and was approved by the Parliament that formed as a result of the January 17, 1988 elections. He was deposed by the coup that took place on June 20. He was born in Ganthier and was a lawyer by profession. Célestin died on February 4, 2011, at the age of 97.
Michel Joseph Martelly is a Haitian musician and politician who was the President of Haiti from May 2011 until February 2016.
The National Council of Government was the ruling body of Haiti from 1986 to 1988.
General elections were held in Haiti on 17 January 1988, after the 1987 general election had been cancelled due to an election day massacre of voters either orchestrated or condoned by the Haitian military. The elections were boycotted by most candidates who had contested the previous elections, and while the official voter turnout figure was stated to be around 35%, observers and foreign officials estimated it to be no more than 10%, with some putting it at lower than 4%.
The Armed Forces of Haiti, consisted of the Haitian Army, Haitian Navy, the Haitian Air Force, Haitian Coast Guard, Agence Nationale d'Intelligence (ANI) and some police forces. The Army was always the dominant service with the others serving primarily in a support role. The name of Haiti's military was changed from The Indigenous Army to the Garde d'Haiti after the U.S. invasion and occupation of Haiti in 1915. Then to the Forces Armées d'Haïti—FAd'H in 1958 during the rule of François Duvalier. After years of military interference in politics, including dozens of military coups and attempted coups, Haiti disbanded its military in 1995.
The origins of the military history of Haiti lie in the country's revolution. A decade of warfare produced a military cadre from which Haiti's early leaders emerged. Defeat of the French demonstrated Haiti's considerable strategic stamina and tactical capabilities. The armed forces, who had been united against the French, fragmented into warring regional factions. The military very soon took control of almost every aspect of Haitian life. Officers assumed responsibility for the administration of justice and for municipal management. According to a Haitian diplomat, the country was in its earlier days "an immense military camp." Without viable civilian institutions, Haiti was vulnerable to military personalities, who permanently shaped the nation's authoritarian, personalist, and coercive style of governance.
Lt. Col. Jean-Claude Paul was a Haitian military officer alleged to have been involved in the illegal drug trade in Haiti. He was indicted by a Miami court on 10 March 1988 for allegedly trafficking cocaine.
The June 1988 Haitian coup d'état took place on 20 June 1988, when Henri Namphy overthrew Leslie Manigat. Manigat, who won the military-controlled 1988 general election, had taken office on 7 February.
The Jean-Rabel massacre took place in Haiti on 23 July 1987, near the town of Jean-Rabel. At least 139 people were killed. It was carried out by "paramilitary groups led by macoutes and acting upon the alleged orders from a local land oligarch, Rémy Lucas".
The September 1988 Haitian coup d'état took place on 18 September 1988, when a group of non-commissioned officers in the Haitian Presidential Guard overthrew General Henri Namphy and brought General Prosper Avril to power. Namphy had been a member of the National Council of Government from 1986 until the February 1988 inauguration of Leslie Manigat, who had won the military-controlled 1988 general election. Namphy had overthrown Manigat in the June 1988 coup d'état when Manigat sought to exercise his constitutional right to control military assignments.
Mirlande Manigat is a Haitian constitutional law professor and candidate in the 2010 presidential election. She is the widow of former president Leslie Manigat and briefly served as First Lady of Haiti in 1988.
Major general Carl-Michel Nicolas, a Haitian military officer, served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Haiti from 19 June 1988 to 17 September 1988, under the military dictatorship of Henri Namphy. He was appointed by Namphy following the June 1988 Haitian coup d'état, and dismissed by Prosper Avril following the September 1988 Haitian coup d'état.
Haiti 
