Charles Rivière-Hérard

Charles Rivière- Hérard ( born February 16, 1789 in Torbeck, † August 31, 1850 ) was a Haitian politician and President of Haiti.

Biography

President 1843-1844

Rivière- Hérard embarked on a military career and eventually rose to become a general.

After the escape of President Jean -Pierre Boyer to Jamaica and its dortiger formal abdication on 13 March 1843, he became president of Haiti.

Escape from Boyer led to Haiti was thrown into a serious political crisis, especially since the disclosed previously run successful revolution against this now, the different opinions of their leaders. The recent armed revolutionaries demanded the abolition of the military regime and instead one marked by liberalism civilian government. However, Rivière- Hérard was not the possible leader of a great liberal movement and for that alone not a supporter of civil government due to his military career. On the other side stood the poorer rural population, the great hope placed in the reform promises made by him to improve their situation.

The Constitution of 1843

In the meantime, a provisional government, general elections proclaimed by him on April 4, 1843 in Port-au -Prince and fixed the date for the meeting of the Constituent Assembly on 15 September 1843. At the same time local governments were founded, whose mayor took over from the military authorities previously perceived powers.

The Constitution was adopted on December 30, 1843 included many innovations: Judges should be elected by the people rather than appointed by the President of the Republic. Any accusation of criminal, political or legal reasons, should be heard by a jury court. The Presidency for life was not only abolished, but the term of office of the President is limited to four years. Measures of the President were effective only when countersigning the respective minister. The right of legislative initiative was next to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate and the President. Municipal affairs of the communities and the arrondissements were incumbent meetings of Local and arrondissements. A draft budget of the government revenues and expenditures should be done annually and subject to the control of the Court. The army was called fairly faithful corporation and issued further guarantees for personal freedom and respect of the property.

Crises, elimination of the Dominican Republic and resignation

With the adoption of the Constitution Rivière- Hérard was also elected president. For Haiti, a new era could begin in its history if all constitutional changes had been observed. The president had not enforce the necessary power the transition of a military to a civilian government. In addition, tensions between the members of the governments were due to their different ethnic and regional origin. Here, the president understood as supporters of the mulattoes, of a group he himself stood.

Finally, there were also tensions to the neighboring former Spanish territory. The Provisional Government had led in particular by closing the ports of this part of Hispaniola by a decree of 27 September 1843 riots, which led to a revolt in the Spanish part of the island a few days after completing his oath of office on January 16, 1844. Just six weeks later, this part of the island declared on 27 February 1844 as Dominican Republic under the presidency of General Pedro Santana its independence.

In addition to the destruction of the territorial unity of the Republic of Haiti was hit by other grievances. In August 1843 residents charged in the department of Sud from dissatisfaction with empty promises of Rivière- Hérard in a riot, which was, however, depressed in Les Cayes, whereupon Lysius Salomon and other leaders of the revolt fled to the Dominican provinces of Azua and Baoruco.

The emerging crises and unrest were militarily crushed by the President. Increasingly, his dislike of the Constitution and its liberal supporters became clear, however, which he ultimately owed ​​his presidency.

Ultimately, the criticism grew on the President in the liberal population of the larger cities and the rural poor of the South more and more until it resulted in renewed unrest. The prerogatives of mayors and local authorities has been limited in favor of the military commander of the district, the municipalities again. This caused there was also an open dispute between the President and the Members of the Constituent Assembly.

The popularity of the president was already on the wane when he wanted to be the Commander in Chief of the Army on March 10, 1844 beginning with a 25,000 -man army on a campaign against the adjacent newly founded Dominican Republic, he saw also a cause of the unrest there. The President conquered in the first days of April, at the head of a loyal army unit Azua, to then pull against the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo on. The end of the young republic seemed close, as at this moment the unrest in Cap -Haitien, Port -au -Prince and Les Cayes rescued the survival of the Dominican Republic. The discontent in these cities quickly spread to other parts of the country.

In the department of Sud, the situation was tense. The small farmers of Les Cayes expected the fulfillment of the promises made ​​by them before him. On March 27, 1844 came to a meeting in Camp Perrin, where sufferers establishing the Armee de ( " L' Armée Souffrante " ) came under the leadership of one of their, Jean -Jacques Acaau, the same time the title of a General was awarded. Acaau who, though entirely without education, but possessed the talent of a mass mobilization. Thus he became the leader of the uprising, on the April 5, 1844 succeeded the conquest of Les Cayes. In the aftermath, there was brutal and bloody violence of the rural poor against the rich city population.

While Acaau ruled as dictator of Les Cayes, also attacked the small farmers of Grand Anse to arms. These conquered Jérémie and soon took its authority throughout the Department Nippes. Here, too, there were outbreaks of violence against the city 's population, which had granted the rural poor above loans at high interest rates and according to non-payment of the interest agreed imitated their country.

On April 25, 1844 initially failed the people of Cap -Haitien to the President their followers and a State Council appointed General Philippe Guerrier first president of Nord. As the population of Port -au -Prince on May 3, 1844, following the example of Cap- Haitien, he finally resigned from his post as president and went into exile on June 2, 1844.