Haiti Democracy Project

www.haitipolicy.org

January 24, 2002

Gérard Pierre-Charles

I am wondering whether Cherestal was indeed a prime minister. And a lot of people are asking themselves that question too. For, he has not done anything during that period of time that proves that he was indeed a prime minister. In fact, total power is in the hands of Aristide. And each time there is a prime minister Aristide has problems
with him. We can remember the case of Robert Malval during the military regime, as soon as he took office, Aristide was already against him. And it was the same thing in the case of Smarck Michel who was a man very close to Aristide. Once he became prime minister, Aristide then invented the People's Organizations affair that were against his supposedly neoliberal policy. And it was the same problem with Rosny Smarth, although Aristide was not president then. But as everybody knows, when Preval was president the true president of the country was in fact Aristide. Preval was a stand-in president. Finally, it is the Lavalas regime, it is Aristide who does not want to apply the constitution that foresees that the executive should be bicephalous. The executive has two representatives: the president of the republic and the prime minsiter. Cherestal finally understands that he is not the prime minister, that he has not received the rank of prime minister. He probably was granted certain benefits. But finally, it is nothing but an inter-Lavalas quarrel. And the problem is the fact that
Aristide is not able to govern with other people. He wants all the power for himself. So, Cherestal was one more victim of that attitude of personal power.