Duvalier Scoffs at Shultz’s Call for Vote in Haiti

President Jean-Claude Duvalier, ruling under a state of siege to combat anti-government rioting, Monday scoffed at the idea of elections, saying, “I am president for life.” Then he sped through the countryside in a motorcade of 30 jeeps, sirens blaring.

The 2 1/2-hour drive, with Michele Duvalier chauffeuring her husband in a beige land cruiser, coincided with a statement by Secretary of State George P. Shultz in Washington, calling for democratic elections in the Caribbean country.

But Duvalier, who inherited power from his father, Francois, in 1971, scoffed at the suggestion and said he will continue “working for the good of the Haitian people,” according to state-owned Radio National, which paraphrased Duvalier.

“I am president for life. What elections are you talking about?” Radio National quoted Duvalier as telling a foreign journalist during a stop on the tour.

‘For Life! For Life!’

Hundreds of Haitians cheered “For life! For life!” as Duvalier’s motorcade careened past the militia headquarters in the hillside suburb of Petionville, where many of the rich live.

“Jean-Claude! Jean-Claude!” the people could be heard shouting when his motorcade, sirens squealing, passed through the business district.

“Yesterday they were saying ‘down with Duvalier,’ today they love him,” a priest said. “Sometimes it can be discouraging.”

Port-au-Prince appeared calm, but dozens of stores in the business district were closed, with soldiers and militiamen guarding those that were open and some that were ransacked during a day of rioting Friday.

Diplomatic Observation

Diplomats and residents took a wait-and-see attitude about whether Duvalier could quell his government’s greatest crisis.

“Between the 1st of January and the 30th the government didn’t say anything,” a diplomat said. “Now they are saying something. Next they will have to start doing something.”

In Washington, the State Department announced that it is seeking authorization to send flights into Cap Haitien, Haiti’s second largest city, to pick up Americans who want to leave. Spokesman Charles Redman said the move is not an evacuation but a response to requests from “a small number” of American families living in Haiti. Redman added that there has been “no harm to American citizens in Haiti to our knowledge.”

The U.S. National Conference of Catholic Bishops announced postponement of a scheduled trip to Haiti this week by three American bishops, including Archbishop Roger Mahony of Los Angeles.