René Garcia Préval has become the 51st President of the Haitian Republic. When he was declared the Presidential winner in the early morning hours of February 17, 2006 thousands of his supporters poured into the streets of Port au Prince dancing, chanting and rejoicing the victory of their candidate.Preval won the hotly contested election with 51.21 %, barely the amount he needed to win.

Preval's victory was not won solely on his popularity as he scarcely won a majority. There were several underlying factors that led to his victory.

One major factor was the division and fragmentation of the political opposition. This is what allowed Preval to take the election in the first round.

The victory of Preval is certainly a blow to the local bourgeoisie whose candidate, Charles Henri Baker, came in third. These elite had formed a group known as Group 184 that was a catalyst in a revolt against Aristide in 2003/04 that eventually pushed him from power in February 2004.

The last two "interim" years in Haiti

It is important to note that the last two years have deepened the social distance between the elite or the bourgeoisie that live a very comfortable life in the hills above Port au Prince and the masses who struggle every day to survive in the festering, squalid slums of the capital.

During these "Interim" years, the violence escalated to a point where it became hazardous just to walk downtown in Port au Prince; anyone could be kidnapped. In fact, hundreds of victims were tortured, raped and even killed; all in the presence of the UN Mission (MINUSTAH) that is supposed to be helping with the stabilization of Haiti.

I will not delve deeply into the controversy that surrounds the UN mission in Haiti, but it is hard to understand how and why millions of US dollars and thousands of UN troops, police and civilian workers can be so badly misused.

Even though this mission has been in Haiti for close to 2 years, it is evident that day to day life in Haiti has worsened considerably; even more so than during Aristide's four years of mismanagement. This, to me, is extremely disturbing.

Interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue not only failed to organize an indisputable election, he also failed to mobilize the millions of dollars that were promised to his government during the ICF (Interim Cooperative Framework -- a document that was the outcome of a needs assessment organized by the Interim government and the international community that outlined the framework for national and international efforts in all sectors).
He was unsuccessful in creating the necessary national dialogue and reconciliation that would have prepared Haitian society to move beyond the transition and the past.

What is to come after the much disputed presidential election?

To some extent, the victory of Renee Preval is also the victory of Jean Bertrand Aristide. As you walked through the streets the day Preval was declared the Presidential winner, people were exhibiting both the picture of Preval as well as Aristide.

This is an unsettling reality that Haiti might be back to square one. Even more unnerving, for some, is the fact that Aristide is manoeuvring his return to Haiti. Preval has indicated that any Haitian citizen has the right under the Haitian constitution to return to Haiti without a visa.

This is a hard blow against the many political parties as well as the elite that are very much against Aristide and Lavalas as well as Preval.

The fight is not yet over
Renee Preval will be facing tremendous challenges; the battle is not yet over. There is still a second round to elect the members of the senate and parliament.

And this has been further complicated by the departure of Jacques Bernard, the General Director of the Electoral Council, on February 19, who feared for his life after opponents ransacked his home on the outskirts of Port au Prince.

The political opposition and the bourgeoisie will still attempt to neutralize the newly elected president, either legally by respecting the democratic game or attempting to manipulate the results as they tried to do in the Presidential race.

Whatever the case may be, President-elect Preval will face the challenge of a failed State, corrupted institutions, a fragmented political arena and a divided society. The task is tremendous and the first two years will be difficult for Preval and the population.

He will have to bear the burden of the inheritance left behind by Jean Bertrand Aristide; particularly the armed groups who played a large role and wreaked immense havoc under the rule of Aristide and still do to this day.

The success of Preval lays in his capacity to bring all sectors of the society together. The only way forward for development, democracy and sustainable change is to build up the capacity of the State, develop the civil society, accompany and empower the communities through community-based development programs and finally to create the space for a national dialogue.

It is time for Haitians to come together to find a consensus about the direction they want their country to take. The elite have always played the role of an outsider. They will have to change strategy and to see themselves as part of Haiti instead of as a foreigner.

And rather than just taking what they want and rapaciously depleting the resources of their country, they will have to participate in the production and development of Haiti.

To save Haiti from where it stands today is possible, but it will demand more than just popular support. Popular support to the President is necessary, but not sufficient. Preval will need the collaboration from all the political parties, the local leaders at the grassroots level, and the local bourgeoisie.

Preval needs to convince all of the sectors to work together to transform Haiti from violence, desperation and deprivation to opportunities, peace and development.

The people who flooded the streets after the February 7 elections showed their eagerness for change. Now it is time for a leader, Preval, to channel these energies toward development and democracy in Haiti.