Michèle Pierre-Louis
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Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis (; born 5 October 1947)"Haitian president Preval names a new prime minister"
, AFP, 23 June 2008.
is a
Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...
an politician who was
Prime Minister of Haiti The prime minister of Haiti ( French: , ) is the head of government of Haiti. The office was created under the Constitution of 1987; previously, all executive power was held by the president or head of state, who appointed and chaired the Counc ...
from September 2008 to November 2009. She was Haiti's second female prime minister,"Haiti lawmakers ratify 2nd female prime minister"
Associated Press, 31 July 2008.
after Claudette Werleigh, who served from 1995 to 1996.


Career

Pierre-Louis has been the executive director of the Knowledge and Freedom Foundation (FOKAL),"Haitian deputies approve Pierre-Louis for prime minister"
, AFP, July 17, 2008.
a
non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...
financed by
George Soros George Soros (born György Schwartz; August 12, 1930) is an American investor and philanthropist. , he has a net worth of US$7.2 billion, Note that this site is updated daily. having donated more than $32 billion to the Open Society Foundat ...
, since 1995. In June 2008 Pierre-Louis was nominated as prime minister by
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
René Préval René Garcia Préval (; 17 January 1943 – 3 March 2017) was a Haitian Politics of Haiti, politician and agronomist who twice was President of Haiti, from early 1996 to early 2001, and again from mid-2006 to mid-2011. He was also List of Prime ...
, after Préval's two previous nominees were rejected by the
Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...
. Her nomination was approved by the Chamber of Deputies on 17 July 2008, with 61 votes in favor, one opposed, and 20 abstentions. It was approved by the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
on 31 July, with 12 votes in favor, 5 abstentions and none opposed. Her political programme and government still had to be approved by the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Préval announced the composition of the new government on 25 August; aside from Pierre-Louis herself, there were 17 ministers, seven of whom were retained from the previous government of Jacques-Édouard Alexis. Pierre-Louis was appointed as Minister of Justice and Public Security, in addition to serving as prime minister. The government was to have been installed on 26 August, but this was delayed due to the impact of
Hurricane Gustav Hurricane Gustav () was the second most destructive tropical cyclone of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. The seventh tropical cyclone, third hurricane, and second major hurricane of the season, Gustav caused serious damage and Casualty (per ...
. Pierre-Louis' political programme and government were approved by the Chamber of Deputies and subsequently by the Senate on 5 September 2008, following extended negotiations. 16 votes were needed in the Senate; she received only 15 in the first vote, but in a second vote held shortly afterward she gained the necessary additional vote. There were no opposing votes, but one senator abstained. This vote occurred as Haiti was ravaged by the effects of Hurricane Hanna and
Hurricane Ike Hurricane Ike () was a powerful tropical cyclone that swept through portions of the Greater Antilles and Northern America in September 2008, wreaking havoc on infrastructure and agriculture, particularly in Cuba and Texas. Ike took a sim ...
, presenting a daunting challenge to Pierre-Louis and her government. The British weekly news and international affairs publication ''
The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
'' referred to Pierre-Louis in their publication "The World in Figures 2010", writing:
Long known as the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, Haiti has stumbled from one crisis to another since the Duvalier years. But under its prime minister, Michèle Pierre-Louis, the country has an opportunity to make substantial and sustainable gains in both economics and politics. Her domestic achievements are already considerable, holding together a diverse coalition and quelling a determined opposition. Abroad, she has worked well with international leaders and won some influential friends, including
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
, a former US president. The tenure of Ms Pierre-Louis, whose social-activist brother-in-law was assassinated in 1998, may conceivably mark a turning-point in the country's long battle with extreme poverty, bloody confrontation and deep-rooted social injustice.
After a year senators from Préval's party complained that people's living standards were not improving. Others thought it was unfair to place the blame on Pierre-Louis for 200 years of poverty and social inequality, but the prime minister and her cabinet were voted down and out on 11 November 2009. In the wake of the
2010 Haiti earthquake The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake that struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (departm ...
Pierre-Louis wrote a piece for the ''
Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...
'' outlining her vision for a three-phase plan for the community: rescue, recovery and reconstruction.


Other activities

*
Open Society Foundations Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is an American grantmaking network founded by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with the s ...
, Women’s Rights Program, Member of the Advisory BoardMichèle Pierre-Louis
Open Society Foundations Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is an American grantmaking network founded by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with the s ...
.


References


External links


"The Elites Are Like a Huge Elephant Sitting on Haiti" Michael Deibert interviews Haitian Prime Minister Michèle Pierre-Louis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierre-Louis, Michele 1947 births Living people Prime ministers of Haiti Mulatto Haitians Women government ministers of Haiti 21st-century women prime ministers 21st-century Haitian politicians 21st-century Haitian women politicians Women prime ministers in North America