| On
April 25,
2003 Alexandre was made an honorary citizen of
Lafayette, Louisiana,
USA.
Alexandre also teaches at the
University of Port-au-Prince.
Acting presidency
Boniface Alexandre assumed the presidency of
Haiti a few hours after the resignation of President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who resigned and left the
country in the face of an internal uprising and
international pressure. Alexandre was sworn in on the
morning of
February 29,
2004 in a brief ceremony at the home of Prime Minister
Yvon Neptune.
Although Alexandre holds the position of acting
president, the Haitian constitution (in article 149) calls
for him to be confirmed by the Haitian parliament, which has
not met since January 2004, when the terms of most
legislators expired. Under the Haitian constitution, new
presidential elections must be held between 45 and 90 days
after Aristide's resignation, and Alexandre as acting
president would not be allowed to run in those elections.
Although Alexandre had close ties to former President
Aristide, he was not a member of Aristide's
Lavalas party. Following his assumption to the
presidency, political opponents of Aristide suggested that
he was too closely associated with the previous regime, and
that, as Chief Justice, he was not active enough in
declaring the court's independence from the executive branch
of the government.
One of Alexandre's first acts as president was to submit
an official request to the
United Nations Security Council asking for a
multinational peacekeeping force to restore order in Haiti.
The Security Council quickly approved this request.
Although rebel leaders, including
Guy Philippe, indicate their willingness to work with
Alexandre as acting president, U.S. officials initially
played down Alexandre's importance in the resolution of the
Haitian conflict, calling Alexandre's administration a
"caretaker" government.
Alexandre was officially inaugurated as president on
8 March. In his first presidential speech, he called for
"national reconciliation, the establishment of a climate of
peace and security for all and an emergency plan to counter
hunger and poverty and to improve health."
Gérard Latortue was named prime minister of Haiti by a
committee of prominent Haitians on
10 March, replacing
Yvon Neptune.
During his interim presidency, Alexandre's 16-month-old
granddaughter, Charlotte Alexandre, drowned accidentally in
a bathtub at the presidential palace while visiting from
France with her family. Alexandre has four children.
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