Haiti Inaugurates Democratically Elected President
6 June 2006; Washington Post

In a May 15 report, the Washington Post reports on the inauguration of Haiti’s newly elected President Rene Preval.  He replaces an interim government that has ruled Haiti since former President Aristide was violently deposed and forced into exile in 2004.

Preval’s inauguration comes three months after his controversial election in February 7.  Preval was declared winner after days of protests when parties agreed to an internationally brokered agreement. Prevel was originally found to have received only 48.7% of the vote but secured a deal that re-interpreted the ballot count, giving him the requisite 51% to secure the victory.  Preval’s inauguration marks only the second “peaceful” presidential succession in the country’s 202-year history.

In his ten minute inaugural address, President Preval emphasized the importance of peace to the country’s development. He called on Haitians to put aside their differences and acknowledged the need for a stabilizing international force in the meantime.  A riot at a nearby Port-au-Prince jail known for holding political prisoners, many of whom have not been officially charged, underscored the hard work Preval faces to establish the rule of law and other democratic institutions. The International Crisis Group calls Haiti "a perennial candidate for failed state status." The Post reports “Between 40 percent and 65 percent of children do not attend school, as many as one in 20 people is infected with HIV and criminal gangs control many of the country's slums and ports.” A third of Haitians are unemployed.

Florida governor Jeb Bush was the highest level American to attend the inauguration. According to The Post, Preval’s recent visits to Venezuela and Cuba have put a strain on Haiti’s relationship with the U.S. Preval has also procured a preferential oil deal with the vocally anti-American Venezuelan President, Hugo Chaves.