PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Schools opened, public transportation ran as usual and Haitians went about their daily struggle Friday as this Caribbean nation awoke to find that Prime Minister Michèle Pierre-Louis' year-old government had been toppled overnight.

Pierre-Louis' 18-member government was ousted by the Senate shortly after midnight Thursday following a raucous 10-hour session. The constitution allows any of the two chambers to dismiss a sitting government.

On Friday, the international community issued statements respecting the decision, saying it was constitutional, but reiterated its support of Pierre-Louis. It also called on Haiti's political class to act quickly to put a new government in place to avoid the instability that gripped the country last year after the firing of the last prime minister, Jacques-Edouard Alexis.

But unlike the misery-fueled discontent that rattled this nation of nine million in the lead-up to food riots that eventually led to the previous government's toppling, the mood throughout Haiti now is a sense of indifference. There were no street protests or riots.

Still, many Haitians began their day Friday with little sleep after having stayed awake until 12:30 a.m. to watch the political drama unfold on national television.

``These changes come at a crucial moment in the efforts being undertaken by the United States and its partners in the international community to enhance the democratic, economic and social development of Haiti,'' the U.S. Embassy said in a statement. ``We therefore hope that a new prime minister is confirmed as soon as possible.''

Haitian President René Préval, who met with government ministers on Friday evening, also issued letters to the presidents of both chambers saying he was naming Minister of Planning and External Cooperation Jean-Max Bellerive as Pierre-Louis' replacement. Prévalhas not commented publicly on Pierre-Louis' firing, and she did not attend a cabinet meeting at the presidential palace between government ministers and Préval. Pierre-Louis will remain in a caretaker role as prime minister until parliament confirms her successor.

Préval has indicated that he wants a quick transition, although the final decision rests with parliament. Lawmakers will have to decide whether Bellerive, who has served in the Haitian government for two decades, is ready to lead the country's government as it prepares for presidential elections in November 2010.

In laying out their case against Pierre-Louis, lawmakers accused her of moving too slowly to solve Haiti's myriad problems. But supporters countered that the problems of Haiti are not that of the prime minister's alone.

Leslie Voltaire, Haiti's special envoy to the United Nations, said the international community should recognize its role in what happened to Pierre-Louis. For example, he said, only the Inter-American Development Bank has increased its disbursements for this year. And only 15 percent of the $346 million promised at an April donors' conference in Washington has been delivered.

``Had the international community disbursed the resources pledged in April, maybe this situation would not have happened,'' he said. ``We all hope that the process will be seamless and quick and that Miche`le Pierre-Louis will continue to be a great asset for Haiti and accompany the Haitian people in their quest for democracy and development.''

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