In Haiti the the nomination of the prime minister-designate, Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis, has been ratified by the Chamber of Deputies. The vote, in the end, was overwhelming (60 in favour, one against and 20 abstentions – possibly the expectation of future government benefits was a motivation behind the party discipline on this occasion).

The nomination of Ms Pierre-Louis must now be ratified by the Senate if she is to take office. However, all Haitian newspapers report that this will be no easy matter. Recall that the Senate is very small with, I believe, only 30 members. The party system is extremely fragmented anyway and the small number of Senators tends to make them particularly independent-minded. Also, the Senate has lost a portion of its members, because their terms have come to an end and a new election has not yet been held. In addition, a leading Senator is currently under investigation for a criminal offence. This makes the ratification process difficult to predict. What is more, there is the inevitable politicking over governmental office. The proposed government will include representatives of a number of different parties and agreement over the coalition and the benefits that would ensue seemed to be a reason for the overwhelming vote in the Chamber of Deputies. However, other parties in Senate may want their share of the cake and may block an appointment if they feel they are missing out.