Haiti's president turns to Cabinet for new PM

Haiti's Senators Youri Latortue, center right, and Jean Baptiste Jean Willy, center left, speak before a Senate session in Port-au-Prince, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis was facing a challenge Thursday from senators in the president's party who are trying to remove her, a move that could hinder international efforts to increase foreign investment in Haiti. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

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updated 7:02 p.m. ET, Fri., Oct . 30, 2009

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Haiti's president turned Friday to a member of his Cabinet to replace the prime minister who was abruptly removed by the Senate in a vote that reflects the country's deep political divisions.

Jean-Max Bellerive, the minister of planning and external cooperation, is President Rene Preval's nominee to be Haiti's next premier, Preval said in a statement addressed to parliament.

Bellerive, an economist, has held a variety of government posts over the past decade, including as an official in the administration of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was forced from office in a violent rebellion in 2004. Bellerive, in Preval's government, has played a major role in coordinating and courting investment and foreign aid for the country.