1961 Haitian presidential referendum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A presidential referendum was held in Haiti on 30 April 1961 alongside parliamentary elections.[1] Voters were asked whether President François Duvalier should remain in office for a further six years. The official count was 1,320,748 votes in favor of Duvalier and none against.[2] The New York Times wrote that "Latin America has witnessed many fraudulent elections throughout its history but none has been more outrageous than the one which has just taken place in Haiti."[3][4]
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30 April 1961
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Legality and implications
Presidential reelection was expressly prohibited as per Article 87 of the Constitution in force at the time,[5] which had been promulgated under the administration of Duvalier himself shortly after his inauguration in 1957.[2]
In 1964, François "Papa Doc" Duvalier would go on to declare himself president for life.[2]
Results
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| For | 1,320,748 | 100.00 | |
| Against | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Total | 1,320,748 | 100.00 | |
