PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A wealthy businessman became president Thursday of Haiti’s transitional presidential council tasked with restoring order in the troubled country, while a prominent gangster underscored the challenges by vowing to overthrow the government.

The appointment of Laurent Saint-Cyr at the council’s heavily guarded office in the capital of Port-au-Prince — where criminal gangs control 90% of the neighborhoods — marked the first time that people from Haiti’s private sector serve in both the rotating presidency and as prime minister, two positions that share the country’s executive duties.

“Our country is going through one of the greatest crises in all its history,” Saint-Cyr said at a ceremony attended by ambassadors of several countries. “It’s not the time for beautiful

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