François Duvalier, Haitian physician and politician, 40th President of Haiti (born 1907)

François Duvalier, also known as Papa Doc, was a Haitian politician and Vodouisant who served as the president of Haiti from 1957 until his death in 1971. He was elected president in the 1957 general election on a populist and black nationalist platform. After thwarting a military coup d'état in 1958, his regime rapidly became more autocratic and despotic. An undercover government death squad, the Tonton Macoute, indiscriminately tortured or killed Duvalier's opponents; the Tonton Macoute was thought to be so pervasive that Haitians became highly fearful of expressing any form of dissent, even in private. Duvalier further sought to solidify his rule by incorporating elements of Haitian mythology into a personality cult.

The president of Haiti, officially called the president of the Republic of Haiti, is the head of state of Haiti. Executive power in Haiti is divided between the president and the government, which is headed by the prime minister of Haiti.^[A133] The Transitional 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.