Haitian constitution
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The Constitution of Haiti (french: Constitution d'Haïti, ht, Konstitisyon Ayiti) was modeled after the constitutions of the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
,
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and
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. The latest version of the document was approved by Parliament in March 2011 and came into effect on June 20, 2012.


History

A total of 23 constitutions have been promulgated throughout Haiti's history, the first of which was promulgated under the short-lived government of then-Governor-General
Toussaint Louverture François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture (; also known as Toussaint L'Ouverture or Toussaint Bréda; 20 May 1743 – 7 April 1803) was a Haitian general and the most prominent leader of the Haitian Revolution. During his life, Louverture ...
, who had become the leader of the revolutionary forces in the Haitian Revolution. *
Constitution of Saint-Domingue A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princip ...
(1801). Established Toussaint as Governor for Life and gave him the right to select his successor (future governors would be limited to 5 year terms.) Provided a mechanism to overthrow any governor avoiding election. Abolished slavery and racial restrictions on employment, but upheld ''fermage'', leases, and restrictions on movement. Estates abandoned by their owners during the
revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
to be held and operated in trust by the government, but not nationalized. Banned free assembly, all religions other than Catholicism, divorce, and any imports in competition with local manufactures. * Constitution of 1804 * Constitution of Hayti (1805). * Constitution of 1806, for the southern
Republic of Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and so ...
, written largely by Alexandre Pétion.
Constitution of 1807
formalized a northern State of Haiti with Christophe as its President for Life and a small appointed Council of State, composed primarily of generals. Banned divorce and public exercise of any religion other than Catholicism, and suspended operation of the constitution at any location attended by the army. Unusual in its omission of any prohibition against white ownership of land.
Constitution of 1811
for the northern
State of Haiti The State of Haiti (french: link=no, État d'Haïti; ht, Leta an Ayiti) was the name of the state in northern Haiti. It was created on 17 October 1806 following the assassination of Emperor Jacques I and the overthrow of the First Empire of Hai ...
, establishing a hereditary monarchy under Christophe. Again, prohibition against white ownership of land was omitted. * Revision of the Haitian Constitution of 1806 (1816). Created a bicameral legislature of a House of Representatives ("composed of Three Members for the Capital of the Republic, of Two for the Capital of each Department, and of One Member for each Commune") and a Senate, established Pétion as President for Life, restricted the legislature to only consider bills proposed by the president, and provided for laws by presidential order, except for taxation. The Senate was no longer directly elected, but selected by the lower house from a list of nominees provided by the president. This constitution also provided automatic Haitian citizenship to any black, Indian, or person of mixed race who resided in the nation for more than a year. * Constitution of 1843 under Charles Rivière-Hérard. * Constitution of 1816 restored by Jean-Baptiste Riché. * Constitution of 1846, under Jean-Baptiste Riché. * Constitution of 1849. Re-established Haïti as an empire under
Faustin I Faustin-Élie Soulouque (15 August 1782 – 3 August 1867) was a Haitian politician and military commander who served as President of Haiti from 1847 to 1849 and Emperor of Haiti from 1849 to 1859. Soulouque was a general in the Haitian Army wh ...
.
Constitution of 1874
under
Michel Domingue Michel Domingue served as the President of Haiti from 14 June 1874 to 15 April 1876. Biography Michel Domingue was born in Les Cayes in 1813. He graduated from military training and became commander of army units in Sud. From 8 May 1868 to ...
. Granted the executive had the power to dissolve the Chambers and to establish a Council of State to aid the Government. Power was given to the president for one year to change the judges and magistrates. *Constitution of 1867 *Constitution of 1874 * Constitution of 1879 * Constitution of 1888 * Constitution of 1889 * Constitution of 1902 * Constitution of 1918, acclaimed by U.S.-backed plebiscite: 98,225 for, 769 against. * Constitution of 1932 * Constitution of 1935. Anti-democratic. Allowed Sténio Vincent broad powers, including the ability to succeed himself. * Constitution of 1932 reinstated (1942.) * Constitution of 1946, Nov. 22. Constitution of Dumarsais Estime. Heinl, p. 552. * Constitution of 1950. Enfranchised women. * Constitution of 1957. * Constitution of 1964. Established François Duvalier as President for Life. Established a unicameral Legislature of 58 deputies. * Constitution of 1983 * Constitution of 1987. Banned dual citizenship, effectively restricting Haitian-Americans (such as Samir Mourra and Dumarsais Simeus) from running for president in Haiti. Was ratified in March 1987, but it was completely suspended from June 1988 to March 1989 and was only fully reinstated in October 1994. * Constitution of 2012. Currently in force. Re-legalizes dual citizenship, allows for Haitians living abroad to own land and run for Haitian political office (except for offices of president, prime minister, senator or member of the lower house of Parliament). Also demands the establishment of a permanent constitutional court to resolve disputes between Parliament and the executive, a new permanent electoral council to replace the provisional CEP, and that 30 percent of government jobs be held by women.


See also

* Haitian constitutional referendums: 1918,
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhan ...
, 1935, 1939,
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
, 1971,
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
,
1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
,
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...


References


External links


1987 Constitution of Haïti - Haiti.org's copy in English
{{Haitian elections Haiti Politics of Haiti