Henri Namphy

Infobox Officeholder


name =Henri Namphy
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order =34th & 36th
office =President of Haiti
term_start =February 7, 1986
term_end =February 7, 1988
June 20, 1988 – September 17, 1988
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predecessor =Jean-Claude Duvalier
Leslie Manigat
successor =Leslie Manigat
Prosper Avril
birth_date =November 2, 1932
birth_place =Cap-Haïtien, Haiti
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Henri Namphy (born Cap-Haïtien, Haiti November 2, 1932) was a Haitian general and political figure. He served as President of Haiti's interim ruling body, the National Council of Government, from 7 February 1986 to 7 February 1988. He served as President of Haiti from 20 June 1988cite news |first=Joseph B. |last=Treaster |title=Man in the News: Henri Namphy; Bestower of Silence and Despair |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE2DF143DF932A15755C0A96E948260 |format= |work=The New York Times |date=1988-06-21 |accessdate=2008-08-20] until his deposition on 20 September 1988.

Following the fall of the government headed by President-for-Life Jean-Claude Duvalier, who fled the country with his family in 1986, Lieutenant General Namphy became president of the interim governing council, made up of six civilian and military members, which promised elections and democratic reforms. His regime was given the moniker “duvalierism without Duvalier”.

Namphy, who enjoyed a reputation for being honest and apolitical, had trouble in his early weeks in power; Haitians ceased their celebrations over the departure of Duvalier and started rioting and looting. In March 1986, as violence swept the capital, Port-au-Prince, the popular justice minister resigned from the ruling council and Namphy dismissed three other members who had close ties with the Duvalier regime. The new council had two other members apart from Namphy. The council had difficulty in exerting its authority because of frequent strikes and demonstrations.

An election held in October for a constituent assembly to prepare a draft constitution reflected a lack of public interest in determining the country's political future. The first attempt at elections, in November 1987, ended when some three dozen voters were killed. In January 1988 Leslie Manigat won elections that were widely considered fraudulent, and Namphy overthrew him on June 20 after Manigat had dismissed Namphy as army commander. Namphy remained in power until September 17, 1988, when he was deposed by a group of young officers organized by General Prosper Avril.

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