René Préval served two full presidential terms — 1996–2001 and 2006–2011 — making him the only Haitian president in modern history to complete both terms and transfer power peacefully twice.
An agronomist by training, he came to politics through his close alliance with jean-bertrand-aristide and became the institutional ballast of the Lavalas era.
In the ScholarshipHow historians have read this figure.
How historians and scholars have interpreted this figure across different analytical traditions.
TimelineAcross the historical record.
- 2004-02-29
2004 Coup Haiti
coup-haiti — the coup that produced the Latortue interregnum Préval ended with his 2006 victory
- 2010
Post-Earthquake Reconstruction Haiti
earthquake-reconstruction-haiti — reconstruction period he presided over, 2010–2011
- 2010-01-12
2010 Earthquake
earthquake — the defining catastrophe of his second term
- 2010-10
2010 Cholera Outbreak Haiti
cholera-outbreak-haiti — MINUSTAH-introduced epidemic during his watch