Ericq Pierre (born 1945?) is a
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
an economist working for the
Inter-American Development Bank
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international financial institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America, and serving as the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribb ...
. He was unsuccessfully nominated as prime minister by President
René Préval in 1997 and 2008.
["Haitian lawmakers reject president's pick for prime minister"]
Associated Press (''International Herald Tribune''), May 13, 2008.
Pierre lives in
Washington, D.C., where the Inter-American Development Bank is based, and is an advisor for the Bank regarding Haiti.
["Haiti names new PM amid food crisis"]
, AFP, April 27, 2008. In the midst of a political crisis
["Haitians nix president's P.M. pick", ''The Star-Ledger'' (nl.newsbank.com), August 27, 1997.] following the resignation of Prime Minister
Rosny Smarth
Rosny Smarth (born October 19, 1940) was Prime Minister of Haiti briefly, from February 27, 1996 to June 9, 1997. He resigned his post before a successor was found, leaving the post vacant for nearly two years. His political party is the OPL.
...
, Pierre was nominated as prime minister by President Préval in 1997,
["Haitian Senate ratifies Eric Pierre's PM nomination"]
Xinhua, May 9, 2008. but the
Chamber of Deputies
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
rejected the nomination on August 26, 1997, with 43 votes against him, nine in favor, and eight abstaining.
[ Pierre's inability to demonstrate that his grandparents were of Haitian nationality by presenting their birth certificates][ and his support for an economic plan that involved privatization and large-scale lay-offs of state employees contributed to his defeat.][
After Prime Minister ]Jacques-Édouard Alexis
Jacques-Édouard Alexis (born 21 September 1947) is a Haitian politician. He served as the List of Prime Ministers of Haiti, Prime Minister of Haiti from 1999 to 2001 and was Prime Minister for a second term from 2006 to 2008 when he was dismisse ...
was defeated in a vote of no confidence on April 12, 2008, Préval nominated Pierre as prime minister for a second time on April 27, 2008.[ In Les Cayes on May 5, leaders of the riots against high food prices that had occurred in April demanded that a new prime minister and government be installed within a week, threatening renewed violence if this did not happen.][Joseph Guyler Delva]
"Haiti riot instigators set deadline to install PM"
Reuters (''International Herald Tribune''), May 6, 2008.
The Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
approved Pierre's nomination on May 7, with 17 votes in favor, two abstentions and none opposed. The nomination still had to be approved by the Chamber of Deputies.[
The Chamber of Deputies rejected Pierre's nomination on May 12;][ there were 51 votes against him and 35 in favor,]["Haiti MPs reject new PM candidate"]
BBC News, May 13, 2008. with nine deputies abstaining.[ As a result, Préval had to nominate someone else. Opposition deputy Levaillant Louis Jeune said that the deputies "didn't really believe in the plan that he had for the people of this country".][ Additionally, as in 1997, questions arose about Pierre's nationality documents.]["Failed Haiti PM nominee says lawmakers who rejected him were corrupt"]
Associated Press (''International Herald Tribune''), May 16, 2008.
Speaking at the Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...
on May 15, Pierre alleged that corrupt deputies had prevented his nomination from succeeding because he had been unwilling to negotiate with them and satisfy their demands for money, projects, and positions in the government. He was dismissive regarding the nationality issue.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierre, Ericq
1945 births
Living people
Haitian economists
Government ministers of Haiti
Haitian expatriates in the United States