PORT-AU-PRINCE, Nov 6, 2009 (AFP) -

Haiti's Senate unanimously confirmed Jean-Max Bellerive on Friday as the country's new prime minister, clearing the way for the formation of a new government.

President Rene Preval tapped Bellerive, the planning minister, to head a new government a week ago after a no-confidence vote forced the resignation of prime minister Michele Pierre-Louis.

In ousting Pierre-Louis, the 29-seat Senate had cited her poor performance in shepherding economic recovery in Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

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