PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti_Haiti said goodbye Saturday to one of its most decorated and respected presidents, Rene Preval, in a Catholic ceremony spanning almost three hours.
Just as in life, Preval, in death, brought together Haitians of all colors, socioeconomic standings and political leanings as peasant organizations paid tribute by wearing of traditional straw hats _ a symbol of the Haitian farmer and the grass-roots organizations Preval cultivated to become Haiti's only two-time president to complete his terms.
"We've lost a branch in our battle, " said Charles Suffrard , a peasant leader, friend and longtime ally in Preval's battle to integrate peasants into national life.
On Friday, thousands of Haitians lined up to get a last look at Preval as his open coffin lay in the garden of the National Pantheon Museum on the Champ de Mars. They were joined by current Haitian President Jovenel Moise, former presidents Jocelerme Privert, Michel Martelly and Prosper Avril, and members of the foreign diplomatic corps.
"I was fortunate to have him around when I needed some advice," Martelly said. "I can say that now, I know what it is to have served once. I still don't have the experience of serving twice. He has it and he's gone with it."
The only Haitian president to have served two terms and not be jailed, killed or exiled, Preval died March 3. The cause of death has not yet been determined. An autopsy was ordered by his wife, Elisabeth Delatour Preval , who was in Coral Gables, Fla., when her husband died at age 74.
Preval was president from 1996 to 2001 and 2006 to 2011. Former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's first prime minister before he was forced by a military coup to seek exile along with other Aristide government officials, Preval also had been director general of a government development agency and minister of defense.
Trained in Belgium as an agronomist, he briefly worked as a waiter in the United States before returning to Haiti where he ran a bakery with several friends.
During Saturday's national ceremony organized by the National Palace, some from the stands shouted, "Go in peace Preval," and "You were a good person, you were a good president."
At the time of his death, Preval was focusing on: recruiting Haitian farmers in the war on deforestation. He wanted Parliament to pass a law requiring the government to source locally, giving farmers an economical reason to plant and protect trees.
