A vote 51-35 derailed Preval’s effort to install new Prime Minister

CSMS Magazine Staff Writers Almost three weeks after Haitian president Rene Preval nominated Ericq Pierre to head a new government after Edouard Alexis was brought down over a food crisis, the country is still without a real functional government. To make matters worse, Haiti’s Chamber of deputies threw all hope into thin air last Monday when a vote 51-35 rejected the nomination.    Many say that the vote wasn’t just a blow to Pierre; it was also a blow to Preval’s credibility. This is a clear sign of his lack of leadership in a chamber where his party holds a majority.   Haiti’s Senate approved the nomination last week, and that raised hope the country was going to have a serious government ready to deal with the urgent problem of the day: food shortages. Witnesses said after several hours of heated discussions, a majority of deputies cast their votes against the nominee, claiming that his name was not spelled correctly on the documents presented to the chamber. Observers believe that was just an excuse to reject Pierre whom many deputies distrust for his tie with the World Bank and the IMF.”He gave us a name without discussion. He needs to do real consultation. He only came with a name and he did not do consultation,” Deputy Francois Lucas Sainvil, a member of Lespwa and leader of an anti-neoliberal bloc within the lower chamber that opposed Pierre’s nomination, told The Miami Herald in a phone interview.The deputies seem to have been crying for a share of the pie, knowing what is set to be awarded to the country after days of street protests over food shortages that left several people dead and many injured.   ”I am the one who lost here,” said Eric Jean-Jacques, president of the Chamber of Deputies, who supported Pierre’s nomination. “We will wait for the president to give us another Prime Minister.”When will they stop using Haiti for their own selfish interest?Also see: High Noon for René Préval in HaitiRene Prevsl takes office  Haiti: the lies will never endWill Haiti Ever Regain Its Sanity?Will Haiti ever achieve responsible governance?