The Collegial Government of 22: A Crucial Transition in Haitian Political History

By Pierre Josué Agénor Cadet March 20, 1867, marks a pivotal date in Haitian political history. Following the resignation of President Fabre Nicolas Guillaume Geffrard, forced to leave power after more than eight years of contested rule, the nation plunged into a period of uncertainty. It was in this context of institutional vacuum and deep political tensions that an unprecedented provisional government emerged: an Executive Council of 22 members, known as the "government of 22". The formation of this collegial government by the National Assembly aimed to preserve the continuity of the State, maintain public order, and organize, in the short term, the election of a new President of the Republic. This experience, rare in Haitian constitutional history, reflects both the leadership crisis and the desire to avoid a military dictatorship or a period of anarchy. Composed of military figures, jurists, intellectuals, and administrators from various departments of the country, this council aimed to reconcile the nation's vital forces during a moment of extreme fragility and to elect Geffrard's successor within a short period. The Provisional Executive Council was composed of Jean Nicolas Nissage Saget, Victorin Chevallier, Victor Dallemand, Charles Archin, Démesvar Delorme, Jean-Baptiste Pierre, Timoléon C. Lhérisson, Michel Domingue, Montès de Saint-Louis, Joseph Laroche, Tancrède Auguste, Louis Dufrénoy, Gédéon Prévost, Benoît Augustin, Élie Dubois, Jean Dumesle, Rameau Estimé, Jacques Faubert, Joseph Lamothe, Maximilien Castera, Numa Augusma, and Louis Ethéart. This council welcomed a new member, Sylvain Salnave, proclaimed after his return from exile (in the Turks Islands for 2 years) as Superior Commander of the Northern Department. The panicked group of 22 hastened to ratify the act and arranged to appoint him a member of the Collegial with Cap as his residence. On May 2, 1867, the latter, who had the firm resolution to seize supreme power, tendered his resignation. Among these 22 men, several would play an eminent role in the continuation of national history. Nissage Saget would become President of the Republic (March 19, 1870 - May 12, 1874), as would Michel Domingue (June 11, 1874 - April 15, 1876) and Tancrède Auguste (August 8, 1912 - May 2, 1913). The government of 22 remained in place for only three months, until the legalization of the coup d'état by the popular and populist Sylvain Salnave to the presidency on June 14, 1867, by the Constituent Assembly. However, this short period allowed for the avoidance of a collapse of the state apparatus, despite internal rivalries, personal ambitions, and persistent mistrust between civilians and military. This government, though transitional, is often cited by historians as an attempt at collegial power management, a compromise between antagonistic political forces, and an improvised but effective response to an explosive national situation. By revisiting this moment little known to the general public, such as that of 1957 when there was a third provisional government in less than four months, known as the Executive Council of Government (CEG) and composed of 13 members (General Léon Cantave, former Secretary of State Luc Fouché, lawyer and politician Grégoire Eugène, Senior Officer Fernand Magloire, Journalist Georges Honorat, Administrator Frédéric Duvigneau, economist Marc Antoine Buteau, Magistrate André Dumesle, Doctor Jean-Baptiste Romain, Engineer Léonce Bernard, former minister Seymour Lamothe, Jurist-writer Albert Ethéart, and Diplomat-writer Stephen Alexis) reigning from April 6 to May 25, 1957, it is important to emphasize the importance of political dialogue and power-sharing in times of political or institutional crisis. While the government of 22 did not fundamentally alter the course of events, Salnave, quickly seizing authoritarian power, nevertheless embodies a period of national consultation in a century marked by palace revolutions and chronic instability. This forgotten chapter of our history deserves to be recalled, studied, and pondered, especially in light of our country's current challenges in governance and democratic legitimacy. Pierre Josué Agénor CADET