Haitian senators have taken a key first step toward replacing the prime minister they ousted a week ago.

In a 22-0 vote Friday, lawmakers affirmed that planning and external cooperation minister Jean-Max Bellerive meets constitutional requirements to be prime minister.

He must now get approval from the lower house, then both houses must approve his plan of governance. If approved, Bellerive would be Haiti's sixth prime minister since 2004.

Senators removed Michele Pierre-Louis as prime minister last week, saying she had moved too slowly in fighting poverty and relied too much on international investment plans.