 After the deposition of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, however, Haitian politics entered a period of relative democratic stability.On February 29, 2004, a coup d'état led by the Group of 184 ousted the popularly elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, allegedly with the assistance of the French and United States governments; U.S. and French soldiers were on the ground in Haiti at the time, recently arrived (See controversy).The first elections since the overthrow were held on February 8, 2006 to elect a new President.