Haiti's former interim Prime Minister Gérard Latortue dies at the age of 88

Gérard Latortue, a erstwhile interim premier curate of Haiti who helped rebuild and merge nan state aft a convulsive coup successful nan mid-2000s, has died. He was 88.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced Latortue's decease Monday, saying it was a tremendous nonaccomplishment for nan nation. He described Latortue arsenic "a reformer, a convinced patriot, an eminent technocrat, a sound of change, of improvement (and) a protagonist of democracy."

Latortue was a erstwhile exile who was sworn successful arsenic interim premier curate successful March 2004 pursuing months of bloodshed and governmental strife that near much than 300 dormant and culminated successful nan ouster of erstwhile President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The turmoil astatine nan clip prompted nan U.S. military to escalate its ngo successful Haiti.

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In a July 2004 question and reply pinch The Associated Press successful Washington, Latortue vowed to conflict corruption and disarm powerful gangs arsenic he requested $1.3 cardinal from nan world organization to thief rebuild Haiti aft nan convulsive revolt.

In September 2005, he welcomed erstwhile U.S. State Secretary Condoleezza Rice to Haiti, wherever she stressed nan request for section officials to accelerate nan process to clasp wide elections.

Haitian interim Prime Minister Gérard Latortue attends a convention of nan United Nations Industrial Development Organization successful Vienna connected Nov. 28, 2005. Latortue has died astatine property of 88, according to Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry connected Feb. 27, 2023.  (AP Photo/Rudi Blaha, File)

Latortue said astatine nan clip that his management shared nan aforesaid concerns arsenic nan U.S. authorities and nan world community, and that nan management would grant nan results of nan upcoming elections.

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"This authorities has nary concerns whatsoever arsenic to who will beryllium nan adjacent president. Whoever that is, we will shake hands that personification pinch unfastened arms and walk powerfulness connected to him aliases her," Latortue said astatine nan time.

In February 2006, Haiti held wide elections to switch nan interim authorities of Latortue, who was succeeded by erstwhile Prime Minister Jacques-Édouard Alexis. The provisional president, Boniface Alexandre, was succeeded by erstwhile President René Préval.

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On Tuesday, erstwhile Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant tweeted that Latortue was "a pragmatic leader who knew how, successful a very difficult context, to lead nan state to free and antiauthoritarian elections."

Latortue had antecedently served arsenic Haiti's overseas minister, arsenic a business consultant successful Miami and arsenic an charismatic pinch nan U.N. Industrial Development Organization successful Africa.