Haiti A New Start, a Ray of Hope

By Jill Smolowe

The end for Haiti's most recent strongman was reminiscent of Jean-Claude ("Baby Doc") Duvalier's ignominious departure in 1986. On the morning of his 53rd birthday, after seven days of protests and a general strike, Lieut. General Prosper Avril and his family were driven to the airport on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince last week, placed aboard a U.S. Air Force C-141 StarLifter and flown into refuge in the U.S. Thus ended the turbulent 18-month rule of Haiti's fourth leader in four years.

The difference between the exits of Duvalier and Avril was that civilians, not military men, engineered the latest transfer of power to a provisional government -- and that gave Haitians cause for hope. Last Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice Ertha Pascal Trouillot was sworn in as President. "My essential task is electoral preparations at a national level," she declared, "and to pass power to a democratically elected government."

That is a tall order for a country whose institutions are riddled with corruption and whose government is financially bankrupt. An ever present threat is the military, which has virtually ruled Haiti since Duvalier fled. At last week's inauguration, Major General Herard Abraham, the army Chief of Staff, saluted smartly and informed Trouillot, "Madame President, the armed forces are at your command." Although Abraham promised that his troops would stay in the barracks, Haitians were worried about the resumption of confrontations two weeks ago between citizens and soldiers, which have left at least 24 people dead.

Trouillot must also navigate her way through the demands and desires of some 20 political parties. In a rare demonstration of unity, opposition leaders banded together in the so-called Group of 12 to press for Avril's ouster and select the new President. But that unity is expected to crumble as soon as campaigning begins. Until the election, Trouillot must govern in tandem with a 19-member Council of State, composed of representatives from social groups and geographic regions. The panel has veto power over presidential decisions -- and that alone could stymie progress toward elections.

Not that anyone doubts Trouillot's sincerity. "We believe this government is truly dedicated to conducting elections," said U.S. Ambassador Alvin Adams, who played a crucial role in hastening Avril's departure. As a lawyer and judge, Trouillot, 46, earned a reputation for integrity and political independence. The tenth child of a working-class family, she is the author of several books on law and rose through the judicial system to a seat on the high court. In her inaugural speech, Trouillot "accepted this heavy task in the name of the Haitian woman."

The President is eager to meet the Group of 12's demand for elections within six months. Speed is essential, for only after a democratically elected government is installed will substantial international aid resume. As an encouraging first step toward normalization, the army's 1,200-man Presidential Guard, notorious for its abuses of human rights, has been moved off the palace grounds and is being disbanded -- even though Haitians are worried that there may be a backlash from the Tontons Macoutes, the ruthless thugs who linger from the Duvalier days. Still, for the first time since Duvalier's departure, | the prospects for democracy seem real.

With reporting by Bernard Diederich/Port-au-Prince