Leslie Voltaire facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leslie Voltaire
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Voltaire in 2024
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| Chair of the Transitional Presidential Council | |
| In office 7 October 2024 – 3 March 2025 |
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| Prime Minister | Garry Conille (acting) Alix Didier Fils-Aimé (acting) |
| Preceded by | Edgard Leblanc Fils |
| Succeeded by | Fritz Jean |
| Member of the Transitional Presidential Council | |
| Assumed office 25 April 2024 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 July 1949 Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| Political party | Fanmi Lavalas |
| Occupation | Politician · architect |
Leslie Voltaire, born on July 11, 1949, is a politician and architect from Haiti. He was the president of the Transitional Presidential Council from October 2024 to March 2025. Before this, he worked in the governments of Jean-Bertrand Aristide and René Préval. He also ran for president in the 2010 election.
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Early Life and Education
Leslie Voltaire was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on July 11, 1949. He is very good at languages, speaking English, French, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. He went to school at Petit Séminaire Collège Saint-Martial in Port-au-Prince.
Later, he studied architecture at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He also earned a master's degree in urban and regional planning from Cornell University in the United States. While at Cornell, he was a Fulbright scholar, which is a special scholarship.
Career as an Architect
Voltaire became an architect and urban planner. He has more than 40 years of experience in this field. He helped create big projects, like a plan for a low-cost housing complex in Port-au-Prince. He also advised on building a football academy. For 15 years, he taught architecture at the State University of Haiti.
Entering Politics
Voltaire joined the political party Fanmi Lavalas. He started his political career in 1990 as a state councilor. A year later, President Jean-Bertrand Aristide made him the Minister of National Education and Minister of Sports.
In 1995, he became President Aristide's chief of staff. He continued to work in the government under President René Préval. In 1996, he was appointed as an infrastructure advisor. By 2001, he became the Minister of Haitians Living Abroad. He created the "Voltaire law," which helped Haitians living outside the country with their economic rights. In 2009, Voltaire was a Special Envoy to the United Nations (UN), working with former U.S. president Bill Clinton.
Helping Haiti and Presidential Run
After a big earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, Voltaire played a key role in helping to rebuild the country. He ran for president in the 2010–11 Haitian general election with the party Ansanm Nou Fò. He received 16,199 votes. After the election, he continued to advise the Lavalas party. He later became a member of the executive board of the Montana Accord.
Transitional Presidential Council
In 2024, Voltaire was chosen to be part of the Transitional Presidential Council. This group temporarily acts as Haiti's head of state. He became one of seven members on April 25, 2024. The council has a rotating leadership. Voltaire became the president on October 7, 2024, taking over from Edgard Leblanc Fils. His term as president ended on March 7, 2025.
Leslie Voltaire is married and has three children.
See also
In Spanish: Leslie Voltaire para niños
