Haitian National Congress

Defunct Haitian political party

This article is about the original Haitian National Congress. For current successor party, see KND-PUSD. For Haitian affiliate of the KND-PUSD, see KND-PUSD of Haiti.

The **Haitian National Congress** (HNC), known as the **Kongré Nasyonal Dayiti** (KND); originally founded as the **National Congress Front for Democracy and Westernization** was the sole legal political party in Haiti from 1971 to 2023. The KND came to power after seizing control over the government from the Duvalier dynasty and the National Unity Party. It was considered a far-right political party with strong anti-American and anti-Western views. It was very socially conservative and authoritarian. The party have been dominated by the Mathieu family, with a member of the dynasty having served as the President of Haiti since 1977. Louis Mathieu served as the party's Chairman from 1969 until his death 2023, and served as President of Haiti from 1971 until 2023. He was then succeeded by his grandson Toussaint Mathieu on September 13, 2023. It was succeeded by the KND-PUSD in 2023 after the Haitian unification of Hispaniola.

## History

Main article: History of the Haitian Republic
### Pro-Democracy beginnings

Main article: National Defense Force of the Republic of Haiti
The **Haitian National Congress** Party as the **National Congress Front for Democracy and Westernization** was established as an informal resistance to the Duvalier government in 1969 by Jean Louis Pascal and François Augustine. Early in the history of the Haitian National Congress, the party was AntI-Duvalier and was strongly in favor of westernization, pro-Democracy, and favored improving relations with the United States. They initially sponsored acts of terror against the government of Haiti and conspired to assassinate Duvalier and even try to form a coup against the government. This underground movement became a big tent organization that mobilized communists, democrats, anarchists, and liberals.

### Louis Mathieu era (1971–1999)

When the Duvalier government was toppled in 1971 following the death of François Duvalier, the National Congress took over via a coup to avoid the ascension of Jean-Claude Duvalier to the Presidency of Haiti. Duvalier was arrested and tried for corruption, and treason. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison and the National Congress began consolidating power. They would quickly gain the favor of the military and local warlords. This was all under the leadership of Louis Mathieu who was then elevated to President of Haiti on April 21, 1971. Mathieu declared the Haitian Republic on the same day and announced that elections would be held before 1972. During this period, the hopes of many for a more pro-Democracy shift in Haiti were quickly dashed as the National Congress Party announced that all political parties were disbanded in the name of national security. The election took place on November 3, 1971 with 77.35% of the vote in favor of the ruling National Congress Party. This election was considered illegitimate by many of the former allies of the new regime, however many were purged prior to the election. Independent western monitors of the election backed up the claims of voter suppression, and accused the government of using voter intimidation to keep themselves in power.

The new Mathieu government continued many of the policies of the former Duvalier government.

### End of the KND

The Haitian National Congress was dissolved in 2023 after the Haitian takeover of the island of Hispaniola in the Second Unification of Hispaniola. This decision came as a move to ensure unity in the new territory and to avoid a breakdown between the two sides into civil war. The new party merged the KND with the Unionist Party of Santo Domingo, which was founded shortly after the Haitian takeover. The party was formed by Pro-Haitian figures from the Dominican Republic, including former President Juan Castillo, a longtime advocate for unification. The Unionist Party was established as the Santo Domingo wing of the KND.

The two parties agreed to a merger on September 11, 2023; officially dissolving the KND. The new party would take on the name KND-PUSD, which is a combination of the two parties acronyms. The Mathieu family remains dominant in the newly founded party. The successor to the KND in Haiti is the KND-PUSD of Haiti, which is the State of Haiti's branch of the KND-PUSD.