Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis is the new prime minister of Haiti. On Thursday, her nomination was ratified by the Senate. The vote, Le Nouvelliste reports, was 12 in favour, 5 abstentions and none against.

However, all is not necessarily rosy in the prime ministerial appointment garden. Mme Pierre-Louis now has to present her declaration of general policy to both houses. Art. 158 of the 1987 constitution states: “With the approval of the President, the Prime Minister shall choose the members of his Cabinet of Ministers and shall go before Parliament to obtain a vote of confidence on his declaration of general policy. The vote shall be taken in open ballot, and an absolute majority of both Houses is required.”

Given the Senate has 30 seats, even though only 17 senators are currently in office, Mme Pierre-Louis will require the support of 16 of them. So, never mind whether the Chamber of Deputies approves the declaration, it may still prove difficult for her to stay in office.