| President of the Republic of Haiti | |
|---|---|
| Président de la République d'Haïti (French) Prezidan Repiblik Ayiti (Haitian Creole) | |
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| Head of state of the Republic of Haiti Executive branch of the Haitian Government | |
| Residence | National Palace |
| Seat | Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| Term length | Five years renewable once |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Haiti (2012) |
| Precursor | Emperor of Haiti |
| Formation | February 17, 1807 (218 years ago) (1807-02-17) |
| First holder | Jean Jacques Dessalines |
| Succession | Line of succession |
| Deputy | Prime Minister |
| Salary | 250,000Gourdes per month[1] |
| Website | La Présidence |
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Legislature (Dysfunctional) |
Judiciary |
 Haiti portal |
Thepresident of Haiti (Haitian Creole:Prezidan peyi Ayiti,French:Président d'Haïti), officially called thepresident of the Republic of Haiti (French:Président de la République d'Haïti, Haitian Creole:Prezidan Repiblik Ayiti,pronounced[pɣezidãɣepiblikajiti]), is thehead of state ofHaiti. Executive power in Haiti is divided between the president and the government, which is headed by theprime minister of Haiti.[A133]
Due to anongoing political crisis in Haiti, theTransitional Presidential Council has been exercising the powers of the presidency since 25 April 2024. It has a mandate to act that concludes on 7 February 2026.[2][3][4]
A number of qualifications for the presidency are specified by Chapter III, Section A (Articles 134 and 135) of the 1987Constitution of Haiti.
The president is elected to a five-year term by popular vote. The president may not be elected to consecutive terms; they may serve a second term only after an interval of five years, and can not run for a third term.[A134]
To be elected president, a candidate must:[A135]
Elections are held on the last Sunday in November in the fifth year of a president's term. However, in actualityElection Day is not fixed, per the election held in2015. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, arunoff is held between the top two candidates. The runoff candidate with the highest number of votes becomes president.[A134]
Each presidential term is supposed to begin and end on the February 7 immediately following the last presidential election. However, this has not always been observed, as whenMichel Martelly became president on May 11, 2011.[A134]
Since 1950, the President is elected by universal suffrage of all citizens. Previously, civilian presidents were elected by the Chamber of Deputies.
Other qualifications for the presidency are specified by Articles 136 to 147, part of Chapter III, Section B of the 1987 Constitution. The president has no powers except those accorded to him in the Constitution.[A150]
The Constitution mandates that the president see to:
When there exists a majority inParliament in favor of a new government, the President must choose aprime minister from the majority party; otherwise, he chooses one after consultation with the two houses of Parliament. In either case, the choice must then beratified by Parliament. The president terminates the duties of the prime minister when the Government resigns.[A137]
The presidentdeclares war and negotiates and signspeace treaties with the approval of theNational Assembly,[A140] and signs all internationaltreaties, conventions, and agreements, submitting them to the National Assembly for ratification.[A139] The president also accreditsambassadors andspecial envoys to foreign nations, receives letters of accreditation from ambassadors of foreign powers, and issuesexequaturs to recognizeconsuls.[A139-1]
With the approval of theSenate, the president appoints thegeneralissimo of theHaitian armed forces and of theHaitian police forces, as well as Haiti's ambassadors and consuls to foreign states.[A141] The president is himself the commander-in-chief of the armed services.[A143]
With the approval of the Council of Ministers, the president appoints the directors-general of the civil service, as well as delegates and vice-delegates of various departments and arrondissements.[A142]
The president ratifies laws, and has the right to choose between ratifying a law or not.[A144]
The president may reduce orcommute sentences in allres judicata cases, except ones imposed by Supreme Court judges. The president, however, may not grant amnesty to non-political prisoners.[A146][1]
TheNational Palace in the capitalPort-au-Prince served as the official residence of the president of Haiti,[A153] but was severely damaged in the2010 Haiti earthquake, and was demolished in 2012. In place of the National Palace, PresidentMoise used his home at Pelerin 5 inPétion-Ville as a temporary presidential palace before relocating to another home in the Juventas area.[5]
Under the 1987 constitution, the presidentialline of succession went first to the president of theSupreme Court of Haiti, then to the vice-president of the court, and then topuisne judges in order of seniority. An election for president was required within three months of a vacancy occurring, and the acting president could not run for the office. This provision was amended in 2011–2012 to remove all judges from the presidential line of succession, instead designating the Council of Ministers, under the Presidency of the prime minister (Article 149 of the Haitian Constitution).
^ [A___] citations are Article numbers of the 1987Constitution of the Republic of Haiti. A government-issued but unofficial (and error-prone) English translation is available athttp://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3ae6b542c.html andhttp://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Haiti/haiti1987.html and the French original is available athttp://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Haiti/haiti1987fr.html