Haitian lawmakers approved the nomination of Michele Pierre-Louis as prime minister on Thursday, ending more than three months of political bickering and deadlock in parliament.
Haiti’s Senate ratified Michele Pierre-Louis to be the country’s No. 2 leader by a 12-0 vote, making her the second woman to become prime minister of Haiti. There were five abstentions.
The decision ends a stalemate that has left the Caribbean country unable to sign foreign aid deals, arrange an international donors’ conference or hold overdue elections for a third of the nation’s Senate.
The deadlock began when senators dismissed former prime minister Jacques Edouard Alexis on April 12 after a week of riots over soaring food prices left at least seven people dead and destroyed hundreds of businesses.
Lawmakers rejected President Rene Preval’s first two nominees to replace the prime minister and repeatedly delayed votes on Pierre-Louis as they jockeyed for party position in the next Cabinet.
Pierre-Louis, 61, is an educator who heads a branch of billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Institute. She was ratified by the Chamber of Deputies on July 17.
While political wrangling went on behind the scenes, public debate on Pierre-Louis’ nomination centered on claims that she is gay. Many in the socially conservative nation consider homosexuality to be immoral and the clergy had denounced her.
Pierre-Louis denied the claims in a local radio interview on Wednesday.
“I have already said that it was slander and lies,” she told Radio Caraibes. “I hope that this debate will be closed and we will move on to serious things.”
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