Marc L. Bazin

Bazin is a former World Bank official and favorite candidate of the Bush I Administration and the borgeoisie population of Haiti when the country could no longer last in foreign relations as a military dictatorship and had to open the government up to free elections in 1990. Bazin was seen as a front runner if the elections were to happen before the Left in Haiti had time to reorganize. He received 14% of the vote, Jean-Bertrand Aristide winning with 67%. Aristide's popularity was with the people, not with the powers that be, and he was deposed of less than nine months into his term. In June of 1992, the military officials who had led the coup, appointed Bazin as acting prime minister. Washington's initial response was he held the post illegally, but they soon warmed up to him and pressured Aristide to negotiate with the military and Bazin.