1957 Haitian general election

General elections were held in Haiti on 22 September 1957.[1] Former Minister of Labour François Duvalier won the presidential election running under the National Unity Party banner,[2] defeating Louis Déjoie,[3] as well as independent moderate Clement Jumelle, who had dropped out on election day in a cloud of suspicions that the army was monitoring the election in favour of Duvalier. Former head of state Daniel Fignolé, considered a champion of poor blacks, was considered ineligible as he had been forcibly exiled months before the election, allegedly kidnapped.

1957 Haitian general election

← 1950 22 September 1957 1961 →
Presidential election
 
Nominee François Duvalier Louis Déjoie
Party PUN PAEN
Popular vote 680,509 249,956
Percentage 72.36% 26.58%

President before election

Antonio Thrasybule Kébreau (Chairman of the Military Council)
Military

Elected President

François Duvalier
National Unity Party

Supporters of Duvalier also won the Chamber of Deputies elections.[4] Following the election, Déjoie went into exile in Cuba along with his supporters, fearing repression from Duvalier's supporters. Haiti was not to see a free or semi-free election again until after the fall of Duvalier's son Jean-Claude Duvalier in February 1986.

Voters cut the nail of the little finger of the left hand and dipped it in indelible ink to mark that the person voted.[5]

Results

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President

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CandidatePartyVotes%
François DuvalierNational Unity Party680,50972.36
Louis DéjoieNational Agricultural Industrial Party249,95626.58
Clement JumelleNational Party9,9801.06
Total940,445100.00
Source: Nohlen

Chamber of Deputies

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PartySeats
Duvalier supporters35
Déjoie supporters2
Total37
Source: Nohlen

References

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  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p381 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6
  2. ^ Haiti: Political Parties Country Studies
  3. ^ AvSteeve Coupeau, The history of Haiti
  4. ^ Nohlen, p389
  5. ^ "You Have One Week Left In Which To Grow Finger Nail". Haiti Sun. 15 September 1957. Retrieved 17 July 2018.