Politics
Haiti: Laurent Lamothe approved by senate as new Prime Minister
Martelly’s administration is trying to ramp up stalled reconstruction efforts following the devastating January 12, 2010 earthquake that flattened large parts of Port-au-Prince and damaged much of the south of the country.
The magnitude 7.0 quake killed 250,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. According to UN figures, the quake killed, injured or displaced one in six of the Caribbean nation’s entire population of almost 10 million.
Lamothe told AFP last month that his country was seeking another US$12 billion in aid.
But the head of the UN mission to Haiti has said that the political situation there remains “fragile” and that delays in forming a new government are hindering the recovery and economic development.
“Every time that Haiti is without a government, a prime minister and cabinet, violence and the feeling of lack of security grow,” Mariano Fernandez, head of the MINUSTAH peacekeeping force, said in March.
Even before the earthquake Haiti was the poorest country in the Americas.
Copyright 2012 AFP
