Ex-Leader Says Namphy May Be Mentally Unstable

Haiti’s deposed president, Leslie F. Manigat, said today he was overthrown by a power-hungry general who might be mentally ill.

Speaking to reporters for the first time since his overthrow Monday by Gen. Henri Namphy, Manigat said:

“I have been able to observe him (Namphy) from close up in these past days and I would say he is not only physically ill but also has all the classic signs of being psychologically unbalanced.

“He could not get used to the idea of giving up power.”

Namphy was until February the head of an interim military government that took over when Jean-Claude Duvalier fled Haiti in January, 1986. Manigat sacked Namphy as army commander in chief and was ousted in a coup early Monday.

Manigat said his government “represented the last and only chance for democracy in Haiti.”

Appearing in good health and spirits at a packed news conference here, Manigat said he has no illusions about returning to power in Haiti in the near future.

“I have been not only a politician but also a political scientist, and I won’t fall into the classical trap of those leaders who spend the rest of their days expecting an imminent return,” he told reporters.

But he firmly repudiated the coup and urged international democracies to fight against the military dictatorship, and called on Haitians to continue the struggle for democracy.

Manigat accused Namphy, whose government paved the way for elections last January, of not believing in democracy.

“He has said it many times, both in private and in public. He has even told me he does not believe in the Constitution and hasn’t even read it,” he said.