Above: New Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe and President Michel Martelly
By the Caribbean Journal staff
Laurent Lamothe was inaugurated Thursday as Haiti’s new Prime Minister, giving President Michel Martelly a new government for the second time.
The inauguration came two days after the first anniversary of Martelly’s arrival as head of state.
“The people cannot wait,” Lamothe said in his inauguration speech. “Failure is not acceptable.”
Martelly called for the new government to get to work, confident in Lamothe, his longtime friend.
Lamothe arrives as Prime Minister following the resignation of Conille, a former UN official, in late February.
“I have the ambition of working and being the Prime Minister that takes care of the people’s needs,” Lamothe said.
The US-educated Prime Minister faced a drawn out confirmation process in Parliament, which had twice before rejected Martelly’s picks for the post (until eventually agreeing on Conille).
“Despite difficulties, we are moving in the right direction,” Martelly said.