Following the ratification of her appointment as PM by the Chamber of Deputies on 17 July, Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis was ratified by the Senate on 30 July.

The next step in the process is for both houses to approve her government and her general statement of government policy. This is proving difficult.

In the Chamber of Deputies, there is disquiet that some members of the government that was dismissed in April have been named in the new administration. In this context, the vote there was delayed It was then rescheduled for Tuesday afternoon, but it was delayed again, this time because of Hurricane Gustav.

In the Senate, there is a debate as to whether the majority should be reduced. This is because the mandate of 10 of the 30 Senators has expired, one has died and another is ineligible. With only 18 Senators available, the majority could be considered to be 10, but the majority could also be considered to be 16 Senators. If it is the latter figure, then PM Pierre-Louis is unlikely to receive the support of the Senate.

In the meantime, there has been rioting. It has not reached the level of the rioting in April – that brought the government down – but it is a sign that the lack of executive authority is causing general problems.

There is a really nice resume of the situation in the Miami Herald.