Rene Preval

Rene Preval, the second democratically elected president of the Republic of Haiti in 200 years, gained office in 1996. In 1999, after some disagreements with the deputies, he dissolved parliament and started ruling by decree. His first presidency ended in 2001. In 2006, he became president for a second time.

Preval left Haiti in 1963 to travel to Belgium and study agronomy. After finishing studies and spending some time in New York City, he returned to Haiti and soon thereafter met Aristide, a priest working in the slums. When Aristide became the president, Preval became the prime minister. Peval was elected as president of Haiti in 1996 and again in 2006. Preval stated that he hopes to "open doorways on a brighter future: less poverty, less inequality, more wealth, more hope."http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/734196/Rene-Preval

As President, Preval was able to bring a number of economic reforms. The main one was privatization of some government companies. Under his rule, the unemployment rate became the lowest in the country's history. He also made aggressive reforms in the agricultural sector.