Jacques-Édouard Alexis (; born 21 September 1947) is a
Haiti
Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...
an politician. He served as the
prime minister of Haiti
The prime minister of Haiti ( French: , ) is the head of government of Haiti. The office was created under the Constitution of 1987; previously, all executive power was held by the president or head of state, who appointed and chaired the Counc ...
from 1999 to 2001 and was prime minister for a second term from 2006 to 2008 when he was dismissed due to political fallout from
food riot
A food riot is a riot in protest of a shortage and/or unequal distribution of food. Historical causes have included rises in food prices, harvest failures, inept food storage, transport problems, food speculation, hoarding, poisoning of food, ...
s.
Early life and career
Alexis was born in
Gonaïves
Gonaïves (; also Les Gonaïves; , ) is a commune in northern Haiti, and the capital of the Artibonite department of Haiti. The population was 356,324 at the 2015 census.
History
The city of Gonaïves was founded around 1422 by a group of T ...
, Haiti on 21 September 1947.
[Curriculum vitae of J Alexis]
Haitian Office of the Prime Minister. He is the great-great grandson of President
Pierre Nord Alexis
Pierre Nord Alexis (; 2 August 1820 – 1 May 1910) was President of Haiti from 17 December 1902 to 2 December 1908.
Early life
He was the son of a high-ranking official in the regime of Henri Christophe, and Blézine Georges, Christophe's ille ...
and Princess Marie-Louise-Amelie-Celestina Pierrot, a daughter of Prince
Jean-Louis Pierrot. He attended school at
Lycée Geffrard in Gonaïves (1959–1964) and later
Lycée Toussaint Louverture in
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The me ...
(1964–1966).
[ He received a degree in agricultural engineering from the State University of Haiti in 1973.
After graduation, Alexis held a series of jobs in academia.][ He was an assistant professor of chemistry at the State University of Haiti from 1973 to 1976 and a teaching and research assistant at ]Université Laval
(; English: ''Laval University)'' is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university traces its roots to the Séminaire de Québec, founded by François de Montmorency-Laval in 1663, making it the oldest institutio ...
, Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, from 1977 to 1978, earning his Master of Science
A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...
degree in food science and technology from Université Laval in 1979.[ He was then a professor of food technology and post-harvest technology at the State University of Haiti (1979–1987), a professor of post-harvest technology and human nutrition at Ecole Moyenne d’Agriculture (1979–1985), and Dean of the Faculty of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine at the State University of Haiti (1985–1987).][ Between 1987 and 1990, he coordinated the founding of ]Quisqueya University
Quisqueya University (), founded in 1988, is a private Haitian university located in Port-au-Prince. The coordinator of the university's establishment and its first rector, from 1990 to 1995, was Jacques-Édouard Alexis who became Prime Minister ...
, where he served as the school's first rector from 1990 to 1995.[
Under President ]René Préval
René Garcia Préval (; 17 January 1943 – 3 March 2017)
was a Haitian Politics of Haiti, politician and agronomist who twice was President of Haiti, from early 1996 to early 2001, and again from mid-2006 to mid-2011. He was also List of Prime ...
, Alexis served in the government as the Minister of National Education, Youth, and Sport (1996–1999), Minister of Culture (1997–1999), and Minister of the Interior and Territorial Communities (1999–2000).[
]
As prime minister
First term
Alexis was nominated as prime minister by Préval on 16 July 1998, following congressional rejections of three prior nominees that had resulted in a year-long political crisis. His nomination was preliminarily ratified by the Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
on 17 December and by the Chamber of Deputies
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...
on 17 December despite an unfavorable report regarding his management of funds as Minister of Education.["Haiti's Parliament Approves New Premier"]
''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' (December 19, 1998). Completion of the ratification process requires ratification of the nominee's proposed cabinet and general policy;[McKinley, James C., Jr]
"Haitian Leader's Foes Raise the Specter of Dictatorship"
''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' (January 15, 1999). Alexis's final ratification was delayed by the insistence of opposition leaders that they receive cabinet posts.[ Parliament passed a bill extending their term so that they could continue the ratification process, but Préval denied that they had authority to do so, announcing on 11 January (the final day of the parliamentary session) that he intended to bypass Parliament and form a government by decree.][ "Haiti Leader to Rule by Decree; an Attack Follows"]
''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' (January 13, 1999). Opposition parties accused Préval of having staged a bloodless coup and considered Alexis an illegitimate prime minister.[ Alexis served as prime minister from 26 March 1999 to 7 February 2001.
]
Second term
Préval was re-elected in February 2006, and he again nominated Alexis as prime minister on 17 May 2006, three days after taking office as president. The nomination was ratified almost unanimously by both houses of parliament, and Alexis and his government were sworn in on 9 June 2006. His second government consisted of a coalition of six parties, including Préval's Lespwa
Fwon Lespwa was a Haitian political coalition headed by René Préval, who served as president from 1996 to 2001 and from 2006 to 2011. The name ''Lespwa'' is the Haitian Creole form of the French ''l'espoir'', meaning "hope". The coalition's fu ...
party, the Fusion of Haitian Social Democrats, the Struggling People's Organization, and Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide (; born 15 July 1953) is a Haitian former Salesian priest and politician who became Haiti's first democratically elected president in 1991 before being deposed in a coup d'état. As a priest, he taught liberation theo ...
's Fanmi Lavalas
Fanmi Lavalas (; ''lavalas'' is Haitian Creole for 'avalanche' or 'flood'
) is a social-democratic political party in Haiti. Its leader is former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. It has been a powerful force in Haitian politics since 199 ...
party. His stated policy objectives included the restoration of security in the country and the provision of basic services to citizens.
Resignation
Criticism of Alexis's economic policies led to a no-confidence vote in February 2008, which Alexis survived. Riots broke out in early April 2008 regarding high food prices
Food prices refer to the average price level for food across countries, regions and on a global scale. Food prices affect producers and consumers of food. Price levels depend on the food production process, including food marketing and food di ...
, and Alexis announced an investment program designed to lower the cost of living. On 10 April, it was announced that 16 Senators (a majority, as there are 30 seats in Haiti's Senate) had signed a letter advising Alexis to resign within two days. The letter described Alexis's proposals to resolve the economic crisis as "too little, too late" and said that "it is obvious that the majority of the people don't believe any more in the capacity of your government to take courageous measures to ease the misery that the population is facing daily." The Senate then voted unanimously to dismiss Alexis on 12 April, with all of the 16 Senators present in favor. Préval said that he would consult with Parliament to choose a new prime minister, but he also said that Alexis had done his best and should not receive all the blame for the situation."Haiti PM ousted over soaring food prices"
, AFP, April 12, 2008.
Personal life
Alexis is married and has five children.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexis, Jacques-Edouard
Prime ministers of Haiti
1947 births
Living people
Candidates for President of Haiti
People from Gonaïves
21st-century Haitian politicians
Christophe family
Université Laval alumni
State University of Haiti alumni
Culture ministers of Haiti
Education ministers of Haiti
Interior ministers of Haiti
Sports ministers of Haiti
Haitian people of Grenadian descent