Over 2,000 Haitians from all sectors of society took to the
streets in Port-au-Prince May 10 to demand the removal of President Rene Preval
and the reinstatement of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Aristide was overthrown in a
U.S.-sponsored coup in 2004.
Nearly 40 opposition groups called for the protest in
anticipation of Preval using January’s earthquake as a pretext to stay in
office beyond his elected term. At the end of the day, the Senate voted to
extend his term by 96 days.
Many demonstrators charged that he is in collusion with
foreign corporations to sell the country’s resources in a time when social
ownership is desperately needed. Haiti’s recovery is being formulated largely
by foreign powers, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
Claudy Louis, a 29-year-old schoolteacher told the
Associated Press, “Instead of looking out for the people, he [Preval] quickly
hatched a plan to benefit the small group of people around him, the
bourgeoisie.”
