Yesterday morning the second exiled Haitian president in three months returned to Port-au-Prince. This time it was the twice-exiled Jean Bertrand Aristide who returned in a charted jet from South Africa. Like Jean Claude Duvalier, an ex-president who returned in January, Aristide was driven out of Haiti by a popular insurrection. Also like Duvalier, Aristide is accused of embezzlement of state funds and political violence against opponents. Love him or hate him, it is recognized that Aristide is the most divisive modern political figures in Haiti in recent memory. Both of his presidential terms ended prematurely with his forced flight from Haiti. The question that everyone is asking is, "Why now?" The international community made a concerted effort to keep Aristide out of the country until after Sunday's presidential election. However, the host government of South Africa decided it could not hinder Aristide's return. After debarking from the plane, Aristide delivered a speech in at least five languages which decried the exclusion of his political party from the election by the current President Preval's electoral committee. He ended by claiming to bring love and hope for the Haitian people. We will see.
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