1957 Haitian general election

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.

Quick facts Nominee, Party ...

1957 Haitian general election

← 1950 22 September 1957 1961 →

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

Close

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]