Surging crowd welcomes 'little priest's' return home

Jean-Bertrand Aristide spent nearly seven years in exile.

Photographed by:
KENA BETANCUR REUTERS, The Gazette
Former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide returned home to Haiti on Friday after nearly seven years in exile in South Africa, promising to serve his country "with love" but making no direct reference to a crucial presidential election just 48 hours away.Aristide landed about 9 a.m. in a private jet, accompanied by his family and an entourage that included actor Danny Glover and other international supporters.
Minutes later, Aristide delivered a speech - at times in French, Spanish and English - in which he criticized the exclusion of his Fanmi Lavalas political party from the election.
"Today, the Haitian people mark the end of exile and coup d'état," he said. "We must move peacefully from social exclusion to social inclusion."
Pandemonium ensued as soon as Aristide's caravan tried to leave the airport. Haitian riot police waved back the surging crowd to clear a pathway. Thousands of Haitians, many of them young men, beat drums and marched through the streets, chanting his name and shouting that he had returned. The crowd appeared to be following Aristide toward his villa.
Aristide's arrival just before Sunday's vote could be a factor in a political contest already roiled by fraud, violence and disorder. Though he will not be on the ballot, some here believe he could sway the contest by showing support for one of the candidates - each of whom has opposed him in the past.
It was Aristide's third dramatic return to Haiti in the past two decades, during which "the little priest" has been a dominant presence in the country's affairs - whether from office or exile.
The former shantytown preacher won a landslide victory to become Haiti's first democratically elected leader in 1991, only to be deposed in a coup seven months later. He was restored in 1994 with help from President Bill Clinton and thousands of U.S. Marines.
Aristide lost a re-election bid in 1996 to former ally René Préval, Haiti's current president, then returned to office from 2001 to 2004, until he was ousted in a rebellion led by former elements of the Haitian army, which Aristide had disbanded. Under pressure from the United States, he fled into exile in Africa, later claiming he was "kidnapped" by American officials.
Both candidates have said Aristide has a right to return to Haiti. But supporters of former first lady Mirlande Manigat seem to be courting Aristide, hanging banners likening his return to the homecoming of "father."
Her opponent, Michel Martelly, a popular singer, could be hurt more by Aristide's arrival, because his popularity has surged lately among Haiti's poorest, whom he has courted with a slick, energetic campaign.
By NICK MIROFF, The Gazette