PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – One month after the Senate dismissed Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis lawmakers in Haiti have rejected President Rene Preval's latest nominee for the post.

The Lower House of Parliament Monday night voted by a margin of 51-35, with nine abstentions, to reject Ericq Pierre as Alexis’ replacement.

"We didn't really believe in the plan that he had for the people of this country," Levaillant Louis Jeune, a leading opposition legislator, told reporters.

Last Wednesday, the Senate gave its nod of approval to Pierre, 63, a senior official with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), but the Lower House also had to accept him in order for him to take over leadership of the government.

 

The latest rejection was the second for Pierre since Preval took over as President.

 

Preval nominated Pierre for the same position in 1997, but he was rejected after promising to push a US-backed economic plan that would have resulted in thousands of government workers being laid off and privatised state-run enterprises.

 

This time around Preval wanted him to replace Alexis who was dismissed on April 12 over criticism that his government failed to show leadership and mismanaged the economy. The successful no confidence motion against him was passed following violent food protests that left seven people dead.

Preval will have to nominate another candidate who must win a vote of confidence by both houses of Parliament and Stephen Benoit, a member of Preval's Lespwa party, said Haitians must unite behind the next nominee.

"We need to have a new prime minister in office soon,” he said.

CMC/pr/08