RIONS UN PEU: Aristide admits the love affair is over

grison · #1 03-11-06, 06:51 PM

"If they had wanted my return, they would have chosen Marc Bazin.

Marc Bazin was the presidential candidate of Aristide's Lavalas Family Party and a former cabinet minister in the Aristide government of 2001-4. During campaigning for the elections, Bazin spoke out in favour of Aristide's return to Haiti from exile in South Africa.

René Préval, on the other hand, merely repeated that the "Constitution stipulates that no Haitian needs a visa to leave Haiti or return."

Préval won 993,000 votes - 51% of the vote, while Bazin came in far behind in 12th position with 13,000 votes - just 0.7% of the total.

Jean-Bertrand Aristide told the BBC, "It was a love story. They loved me and I loved them. But when you are in love, you can also fall out of love. People are not dumb. Years have passed, and the people's love for me has waned. It's simple."

Source: Independent Media Centre Ireland http://www.indymedia.ie