( CNN ) -- It has been nearly a year since Haiti held elections , but it was not until late Tuesday night that the troubled nation finally was able to form a new government . Garry Conille , a United Nations development specialist and aide to Bill Clinton , was ratified by the Haitian Senate after debate that lasted more than seven hours . President Michel Martelly , who took office in May , congratulated his new prime minister , saying that the installation of new leadership was a step forward in implementing change in Haiti . Martelly 's two former prime ministerial nominations -- businessman Daniel Rouzier and lawyer Bernard Gousse -- were rejected by the Senate . The inability to form a working government had raised concerns about Haiti 's ability to move forward after a devastating earthquake in January 2010 . However , Conille was welcomed in many corners as someone knowledgeable on development challenges and someone who had experience in working with the global community . Conille , 45 , a gynecologist , earned a master 's degree in health administration from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill . He worked for the United Nations Development Program and was a protege of economist Jeffrey Sachs , director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University . `` You need someone like Garry Conille who understands the international community because this is a country which depends on the largesse of the international community , '' said Garry Pierre-Pierre , editor and publisher of the New York-based newspaper The Haitian Times . Most recently , Conille served as chief of staff for former President Clinton , the special U.N. envoy in Haiti . In that role , he was involved in international aid delivery to Haiti . Martelly and Conille have a tough road ahead . Critics say post-quake progress in Haiti , the poorest country in the Western hemisphere , has not been swift enough . Thousands of people remain displaced from their homes , many still in vulnerable makeshift camps . The new government has to take on recovery . Pierre-Pierre said it will be important for Haiti to choose a finance minister who has experience in the private sector , whose partnership with the government will be key to Haiti 's future . `` I just hope ( Conille ) is able to bring in someone who is as high-powered in the financial world as he is the development world , '' Pierre-Pierre said . `` Too often in Haiti , we have loaded the government with good bureaucrats ( and ) not enough people with private sector experience . ''
Senators ratified Garry Conille as Haiti 's next prime minister . President Michel Martelly had failed to get his first two choices approved . The Senate voted on Tuesday, and the new president was sworn in at noon local time ( 1 pm ET ) Comment: The new government must lead post-earthquake recovery efforts .