Rene Preval

Here is the picture of former Haitian President Rene Preval during his funeral on Saturday, March 11.

René Garcia Préval was born on January 17, 1943. He was a Haitian politician and agronomist and twice served as President of Haiti. He was president from February 7, 1996, to February 7, 2001, and from May 14, 2006, to May 14, 2011.

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Here is a picture of Former Haitian president Rene Preval going for baggage check at Airport unnoticed.

René García Préval (born Jan. 17, 1943) served two terms as the President of Haiti from February 7, 1996 to February 7, 2001, and from May 14, 2006 to May 14, 2011 and he is the first former Prime Minister to be elected President. He is the son of an agronomist, left Haiti in 1963 for Belgium to study agronomy. After earning a degree, from the Gembloux Agricultural University, he continued his education at the University of Pisa, to work in geothermal sciences. In 1970, when Préval moved to Brooklyn; there he served as a messenger and a waiter. In 1988 after returning to Haiti, he opened a bakery in Port-au-Prince that provided bread to poor children. It was there he met Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was then a Roman Catholic priest working in the slums. In 1990, when Aristide was elected president, Préval became his Prime Minister (February 1991 to October 11, 1991). Préval was the first elected head of state in Haitian history to peacefully receive power from a predecessor in office and the first President in Haitian history since independence to serve full terms in office. Recently, on 10th May, 2016, Rene Préval was seen standing in the queue at the airport baggage check-in counter, like a common man going for a trip, unnoticed. There was no security, no one to carry his luggage, neither there was any diplomatic room for him. Many consider that he was the only Haitian President who could feel the pulse of Haitian people. He is the same president guy who never hesitated to leave the National Palace behind a motorcycle, because the traffic was congested.

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Here is a famous statement pronounced by the Haitian strong man Guy Philippe as he draws a line in the sand of Deriveau for Jocelerme Privert.

"Polices are not enemies. My enemies are in the National Palace". "The President is a macaque covered with the skin of a tiger. If he thinks he is a tiger, that he comes to Pestel execute his threats".

"If the President decides to attack me, as did before him Aristide and René Préval, do not worry, we will react. I do not ask the population to face them, I have people to do it. If they want to come, let them. But when they come at the level of Deriveau, cut all the roads to prevent them from going back and I'll take care of the rest." - Guy Philippe, May, 2016

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Here is a picture of Former President Michel Martelly together with Enex Jean-Charles and Rene Preval.

Before being named as the new Prime Minister, he was one of Privert's advisers and was president in the ministerial cabinet as Minister of Planning and External Cooperation in the eventual government of Fritz-Alphonse Jean. Enex Jean-Charles is well known in politics since 1988. He is a friend of everyone, but with fewer enemies. He is a Professor of Administrative Law at the Faculty of Law and Economics (FDSE) of the State University of Haiti in Port-au-Prince (since 1991), and to the Valparaiso University in Port-de-Paix (since 2006). He has numerous published research reports and articles on administrative matters relating to decision making, local participation and development of administrative policy to his credit. He has extensive professional experience in the United States, Belgium, Ireland and the Republic of Georgia on community development projects. He is a well known figure in the international community of professors, politicians and community leaders.

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This is one of the classics in Haiti Election. The famous slogan "Vote Pre Pou Loin ka vini" by Rene Preval.

When Jean-Bertrand Aristide became the President in 1991, hundreds of thousand Haitians believed him as a prophet. The former leftist priest made promise for a radical shake up of the political and judicial systems. He also promised that he would stop the U.S from sucking blood of the Haitian people. However, very soon his malpractices and corruptions came into light. Even the public treasury was pillaged. The Haitian people were shocked to learn that the former priest was an alleged father of six illegitimate children, with five different women. Aristide was Haiti's first democratically elected president and three times he held the President's office (7 February 1991 - 29 September 1991, 12 October 1994 - 7 February 1996 and 7 February 2001 - 29 February 2004) until he was ousted in a 2004 coup d'état for the second time after September 1991 and was forced into a seven-year exile to Central African Republic. René Garcia Préval is a Haitian politician and agronomist who was twice President of the Republic of Haiti (February 7, 1996 - February 7, 2001 and May 14, 2006 - May 14, 2011). In 1991, when Aristide was elected president, Préval became prime minister. Following the 1991 military coup, he fled into exile with Aristide. However, he later succeeded Aristide in 1996. As a President, Preval managed very modest achievements during his first term. His welfare projects targeting poor earned him the prefix "Ti" (Little) René. In 2001, Preval became Haiti's first elected president to leave office after a full term. During his second term as President, his most efforts were hampered by the rising cost of basic foodstuffs, deadlock in the legislature, and the deteriorating condition of law and order. As a President, he also encountered the devastating 2010 earthquake.

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Rene Preval in search of a handshake from Obama

This incident took place on April 17, 2009 during a Summit of the Americas taking place in Trinidad. What was clear from the video footing the Haitian President Rene Preval was among many dignitaries coming from around the world to participate at the summit. The summit was highlighted by the presence of American President Barrack Obama. What we could see from a video footing which we were able to transform into still picture was that while President Barrack Obama was moving in an orderly way, shaking hands with different head of stated present in the room, we suddenly say the apparition of our own president Rene Preval where it appears that he did not have any respect for protocol, decided to grab Obama's hands in a gesture to get him in his corner. Obama who obviously appeared to be surprised of the gesture, disregarded the action by Preval and continued to greet the head of states.

Many people have been asking since, did Obama completey diss Haitian president Rene preval? or was it just an oversight?

However the reactions by various Haitians were very very strong against their leader. Some called humiliating,

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Here is a picture of Secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Haitian President Rene Preval, Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, US embassador Kenneth Merten and Cheryl Mills, chief of staff to Hillary Clinton, together under a tent following the devastating Haiti earthquake of 2010

One, Former President Bill Clinton helped raised millions of dollars for the country. As bothe Bill and Hillary Clinton stated Haiti was the first place they visited after their wedding in 1975.

However, the delivery of the help collected was not very successful. The brother of Hillary Clinton, Tony Rodham, as rumored to ha e been involved in insider deals in Haiti. Other criticised the family for their closeness with President Michel Martelly, whom many think did not do a good job managing the country

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Here is a picture of three popular Haitian political personalities. Rene Preval and Yvon Neptune were both prime minister under the government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Rene preval ended up doing two terms as president while Yvon Neptune ended up in Jail. Aristide for his part went on exile in South Africa

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Here is a picture of Former Haitian President Rene Preval and Evans Paul on April 26, 1991. This date was declared National day against repression in Haiti in remembrance of the victims of April 26, 1963 and 1986. On the occasion, a mass was held at Church St Jean Bosco and following the mass, a march was held, taking the participants all the way to Fort-Dimanche. Bothe René Préval and Evans Paul were on hand to participate at the historic and memorable day. Also present were several former political prisoners

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Here is a picture of former Haitian President Rene Preval on April 13, 2006 as he visited Cuban President Fidel Castro. This picture was taken at the Revolution Palace in Havana, Cuba

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