28426: (news) Chamberlain: Haiti-Premier

[corbetre@webster.edu]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

   PORT-AU-PRINCE, May 24 (AP) -- Haiti's Senate on Wednesday ratified
President Rene Preval's nominee for prime minister, paving the way for his
confirmation.
   The nomination of Jacques Edouard Alexis, 58, who was prime minister
during Preval's 1996-2001 presidency, was expected to be considered by the
lower house of parliament on Thursday.
   If confirmed, Alexis would replace interim Prime Minister Gerard
Latortue, who was appointed to lead this impoverished Caribbean nation
after an uprising ousted former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in
February 2004.
   A trained agronomist and the architect of Preval's Feb. 7 electoral
victory, Alexis is considered a strong negotiator with a chance to hold
sway in Haiti's splintered parliament, which includes 16 different parties,
none of which hold a majority.


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