PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Former Haitian president Rene Preval has died, the government of the Caribbean nation said on Friday.

Preval, 74, was the first democratically elected modern-day leader of Haiti to serve his full term. In 2012, during his second term as president, Haiti was struck by a devastating earthquake.

Current President Jovenel Moise said on Twitter that he was saddened to learn of the death ofPreval, who he described as a “dignified son of Haiti.”