ABSTRACT
René resigned as president on 14 April 2004. The decision was his and there does not seem to have been agitation within the party for him to go. The reawakening opposition was doubtless pleased to see the back of him, the more so by being spared the tension, expense and drama that would have been necessary to displace him through elections. René's timing of his resignation came less than two years before the next scheduled election. In passing the chair to Vice President Michel – who was to prove a somewhat more moderate character than his time as René's henchman would have suggested – he gave his loyal lieutenant time to assert himself in the public mind before facing the voters. His decision and his timing were those of a rational and composed man. James Michel as Vice President in succeeding René gave him the added reassurance of a faithful follower and reliable lieutenant left in charge.
