René Préval
assumes presidency of Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE (PL).—With majority popular
support, the former Haitian leader René Préval
(1996-2001), was sworn in for the second time this
Sunday.
Before
parliamentarians meeting in the National Assembly
the people’s choice, as the governor is also known,
accepted the challenge to restore democracy and
stability to the most impoverished country in this
hemisphere.
Aged 63, Préval is returning to power in the
midst of a panorama marked by high indices of
violence, political confrontations and multiple
social ills.
Préval is the only president in Haitian history
to win the right to exercise government and to pass
it on to his successor in a democratic manner after
fulfilling the period established for his
administration.
