838.011/77: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the High Commissioner in Haiti (Russell)
83. Your 125, September 26, 6 p.m. Please inform President Borno that the Department has read the text of the suggested amendments to Article 72 and 77 of the constitution as set forth in your telegram and has no objection to make to either but suggests with a view to the removal of all ambiguity respecting the provisions of Article 72 it would be better to change it to read as follows:
“With the exception noted in the next paragraph, the President of the Republic shall be elected for 6 years. He shall not be immediately eligible for reelection.
“He shall enter upon his duties upon May 15th of the year in which he shall be elected, except when he has been elected to fill a vacancy, in which case he shall enter upon his duties immediately after his election and his term of office shall cease and determine 6 years from the immediately preceding 15th of May.
“One who has served as President becomes eligible for reelection after an interval of 6 years following the expiration of his term of office, unless he has been elected President twice, in which case he shall not thereafter be eligible for that office.”
The text of the other amendments given in your despatch No. 1076 of September 1019 conforms with previous agreement and the Department’s suggestions. There is therefore apparently no reason why the President should not now submit the amendments to the Council of State.
- Not printed.↩