Michel Martelly 2007, he moved back to Haiti. In the process, when the mortgage/financial sector crashed, he defaulted on more than $1m in loans, losing 3 properties to foreclosure. Following the magnitude 7.0 earthquake hits Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince in January 2010, Martelly ran for President of Haiti in the general elections. He benefited from his celebrity status as a musician, and held musical rallies called koudjay (musical political endorsement rallies), drawing crowds and media attention. He challenged the results as to whether he placed second, making the runoff, or third. On 3 February 2011, it was announced that he would participate
James Michel observers. According to official results, President René and his Seychelles People's Progressive Front party won presidential and legislative elections in 2001 and 2002 respectively, with about 54% of the vote in both cases. After retiring from politics in 2016, Michel created the James Michel Foundation to fund and support projects that focuses on blue economy and climate change. After serving as Vice-President for nearly eight years, beginning in August 1996, Michel became President on Julh 14, 2004, when René stepped down. At that point, Michel was René's longest-serving cabinet minister. As President, he held the portfolios of Defence, Police, Information,