- Title: Rene Preval, Haiti's president during earthquake, lies in wake ahead of burial
- Date: 11th March 2017
- Summary: VARIOUS OF MUSICIANS PLAYING FOR PREVAL'S WAKE AUDIENCE AT WAKE MORE OF ELISABETH PREVAL AT WAKE MORE OF PREVAL'S COFFIN PRESIDENT JOVENEL MOISE AT WAKE MOISE AND FIRST LADY MARTINE MOISE BEFORE PREVAL'S BODY AT WAKE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) UNIDENTIFIED HAITIAN CITIZEN, SAYING: "In the ten years with Preval the situation of Haitians never improved. I can say before the international media that all of the benefits from (public) services that Haitians had were gone with Preval's administration. For example, TELECO (telephone company), APN and all the industry that existed under the government of (Jean-Claude) Duval (Duvalier) were gone under Rene Preval." EXTERIOR OF BUILDING POSTER WELCOMING THE DEATH OF PREVAL EMPTY STREET MORE OF POSTER WELCOMING THE DEATH OF PREVAL MORE OF POSTER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) HAITIAN, GODSON, SAYING: "He wasn't my president, nor my family's because he didn't do anything for this country. Preval should have died a while ago. I don't care that he died. This is the message I want to send out. I finished my basic studies and I can't learn anymore. In regards to public university (education), there are many private (institutions) for those who have a good standing in the government." EXTERIOR OF BUILDINGS PEOPLE WALKING MORE OF EMPTY STREET STREET SELLER
- Embargoed: 25th March 2017 00:33
- Keywords: wake former president Rene Preval Haiti funeral death
- Location: PORT AU PRINCE, HAITI
- City: PORT AU PRINCE, HAITI
- Country: Haiti
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00367DOBB7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Haiti's unpopular former president Rene Preval lay in wake in Port-au-Prince on Friday (March 10) for the public to pay their respects, with many citizens refusing to honour their former leader who presided over the country during 2010's deadly earthquake.
Preval was a central figure in Haitian politics from the early nineties through to his second presidency. His legacy will always be tied to the 2010 earthquake that destroyed much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, killing more than 200,000 people and bringing the presidential palace crumbling to the ground.
But supporters of Preval hail the former leader for a peaceful handover of the presidency to a successor. Haiti had been politically turbulent for much of its history since winning independence from France in 1804, punctuated by dictatorships, coups, invasions and natural disasters.
At the wake was Preval's family as well as President Jovenel Moise. After news of Preval's death, Moise described the late leader as a "dignified son of Haiti" in a statement on Twitter.
During his first term, Preval managed to build roads and public squares, worked with peasants on land reform, and unlike many of his predecessors, was not accused of massive human rights violations, despotism or theft.
But his government came under attack in 2010 for not properly managing the billions of aid that flowed into the country after the earthquake.
"In the ten years with Preval the situation of Haitians never improved. I can say before the international media that all of the benefits from (public) services that Haitians had were gone with Preval's administration. For example, TELECO (telephone company), APN and all the industry that existed under the government of (Jean-Claude) Duval (Duvalier) were gone under Rene Preval," said this unidentified citizen.
Preval was blamed for a fall in public services in the country.
"He wasn't my president, nor my family's because he didn't do anything for this country. Preval should have died a while ago. I don't care that he died. This is the message I want to send out. I finished my basic studies and I can't learn anymore. In regards to public university (education) , there are many private (institutions) for those who have a good standing in the government," added local, Godson.
The cause of the death for the two-time president was not made public.
Preval's last major public appearance was at Moise's inauguration last month, which ended the political quagmire after Preval's own successor, Michel Martelly, left office in 2016. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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