The National Council of Government (french: Conseil National de Gouvernement, CNG) was the ruling body 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 s ...

from 1986 to 1988.

History

The council was first established on February 7, 1986, as a joint military and civilian

provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or ...

following the exile of President for life

Jean-Claude Duvalier Jean-Claude Duvalier (; 3 July 19514 October 2014), nicknamed "Baby Doc" ( ht, Bebe Dòk), was a Haitian politician who was the President of Haiti from 1971 until he was overthrown by a popular uprising in February 1986. He succeeded his father ...

, at the height of the

anti-Duvalier protest movement The Anti-Duvalier protest movement was a series of demonstrations in Haiti from 23 May 1984 – 7 February 1986 that led to the overthrow of President Jean-Claude Duvalier and the Duvalier dynasty regime and the readoption of the original flag a ...

. The council, under the presidency of Lieutenant General

Henri Namphy Henri Namphy (2 October 1932 – 26 June 2018) 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 Pre ...

, consisted of five members, three from the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and two civilians. The military members were Colonels Williams Régala, Max Valles, and

Prosper Avril Matthieu Prosper Avril (born December 12, 1937) 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 S ...

, while the civilian members were

Gérard Gourgue Gérard Gourgue (1 December 1925 – 4 December 2020) was a Haitian politician and human rights activist. He ran for President in 1988. References Gourgue completed his secondary studies at the Lycée Alexandre Pétion in Port-au-Prince. He conti ...

and Alix Cinéas. Gourgue resigned from the council less than two months after it was formed, and Colonel Valles, Colonel Avril, and Cinéas were forced to resign soon after. The first National Council was officially dissolved on March 20, 1986. During its short life, the council took two important actions: it dissolved President Duvalier's paramilitary forces, the ''

Tonton Macoute The Tonton Macoute ( ht, Tonton Makout) or simply the Macoute was a special operations unit within the Haitian paramilitary force created in 1959 by dictator François "Papa Doc" Duvalier. In 1970 the militia was renamed the ' (VSN, Voluntee ...

'' (french: Volontaires de la Sécurité Nationale, VSN) on February 15, and restored the blue and red flag of Haiti on February 17. A second National Council with three constituents was established on March 21, 1986, the day after the first council was dissolved. The two remaining men of the first council, Henri Namphy and Williams Régala, kept their positions. Jacques A François joined the council as the second member. This version of the National Council ruled until February 7, 1988, when

Leslie Manigat Leslie François Saint Roc Manigat (August 16, 1930 – June 27, 2014) 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, fr ...

(elected in the 1988 general election) took office as

President of Haiti The president of Haiti ( ht, Prezidan peyi Ayiti, french: Président d'Haïti), officially called the president of the Republic of Haiti (french: link=no, Président de la République d'Haïti, ht, link=no, Prezidan Repiblik Ayiti), is the head ...

References

* * * {{cite book , last = Schutt-Ainé , first = Patricia , title = Haiti: A Basic Reference Book , publisher = Librairie Au Service de la Culture , date = 1994 , location = Miami, Florida , pages = 54–56 , isbn = 978-0-9638599-0-7 Government of Haiti History of Haiti Provisional governments Collective heads of state 1986 establishments in Haiti 1988 disestablishments in Haiti