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| Home > More About Haiti > Rulers and Head of Government of Haiti | |||
Profile
of H.E. Mr. Réné Garcia Preval
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René Garcia Préval
was inaugurated President of the Republic of Haiti on February 7,
1996, the second
democratically elected head of state in the country's 200-year history. Prior to that in 1995, he directed the Economic and Social Assistance Fund. He served as Prime Minister in the administration of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from February 1991 until the military coup d'état of September 29th forced him to seek refuge at the French and Mexican Embassies in Port-au-Prince before joining the exiled Constitutional Government in Washington, D.C. from 1992-94. Mr. Préval retained the Premier's portfolio as well as those of Interior and Defense until August 1993 when he was retained by President Aristide as chief adviser. A reserved and pleasant man, Mr. Préval has taken a pragmatic approach to problem solving and is well known for what is known in Haiti as ce bon sens paysan. He was born on January 17, 1943 in Port-au-Prince, one of four children. He holds a degree in agronomy from the College of Gembloux in Belgium and has a background in both engineering and geothermics. As a young man he was forced to leave Haiti with his family in 1963 after they were targeted by dictator François "Papa Doc" Duvalier. Returning to the country in 1975 after also spending five years in Brooklyn, New York, he obtained a position with the National Institute for Mineral Resources. Following the fall of Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier in February 1986, Mr. Préval became active in many popular organizations and voluntary agencies. These included Lafanmi Selavi (The Family is Life), an orphanage and educational facility launched by Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the Fred Coriolan Committee, and the Komite Pa Bliye (Always Remember Committee), which sought justice for the innumerable victims of the Duvalier family dictatorship. He also played a primary role in the Initiative Group of Civil Society for the Respect of the Constitution known as Honneur - Réspect (Honor - Respect) which paved the way for a provisional civilian government to hold the historic, democratic elections of December 1990. Mr. Préval played no small role in the landslide election of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Together with businessman Antoine Izmery, they were the architects of Father Aristide's stunning electoral victory. Often referred to as Titid's "twin," Mr. Préval has sought to continue the work started by his predecessor in widening the aperture for popular, grassroots political participation and the reform and modernization of State institutions. Mr. Préval, the father of two teenage daughters, was married to Ms. Guerda (Geri) Benoît on July 12, 1997. |
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