After the catastrophic earthquake , Martelly won the Haitian general election , 2010 – 11 for his party Repons Peyizan ( '' Farmers ' Response Party '' ) , after a run-off against candidate Mirlande Manigat . Martelly had come in third in the first round of the election , until the Organization of American States forced Jude Célestin to withdraw due to alleged fraud . Martelly assumed his position of the President of Haiti on 14 May 2011 after René Préval retired to his home in Marmelade . His election campaign included a promise to reinstate the nation 's military , which had been abolished in the 1990s by Jean-Bertrand Aristide
catastrophic earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
Michel Martelly