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Haiti: Her History and Her Detractors

Cabinet. He cannot execute any valid measure without the countersign of the Secretary under whose sphere of authority it comes and who becomes responsible therefor. The President's salary amounts to $24,000 a year, besides $15,000 for traveling expenses. His Cabinet consists of six Secretaries of State. The Departments are those of the Interior, Agriculture, Public Works, Justice, Public Instruction, Finance, Commerce, Exterior Relations, War and Navy.

A Secretary of State must have attained the age of 30 years, enjoy civil and political rights, and own real estate in Haiti. All important measures are examined by the Council of the Secretaries of State, who are responsible not only for their own acts but also for the acts of the President, which they countersign; the verbal order of the President cannot shield them. They participate in the labor both of the House of Representatives and of the Senate, where they have the right to introduce, uphold, or oppose the projects in debate. Both Houses can interpellate them on all matters relative to their administration, and upon receiving a vote of want of confidence they usually resign at once. In the event of any crime being committed in the exercise of their functions they are impeached by the House of Representatives and tried by the High Court of Justice (the Senate). The salary of a Secretary of State is $6,000 a year.

The Judiciary Power is exercised by a Tribunal de Cassation (Supreme Court) sitting at Port-au-Prince, by civil and commercial tribunals, and by justices of the peace. *** The territory of the Republic is divided into Departments, the Departments into arrondissements, the arrondissements into communes, and the communes into rural sections.[1] There are five departments: the

  1. Several rural sections form a commune; two or more communes form an arrondissement and two or more arrondissements form a Department. There are now 26 arrondissements and 86 communes.