New Delhi, Feb. 9 -- Haiti's presidential council stepped down on Saturday after almost two years of tumultuous rule alongside a U.S.-backed prime minister, who is expected to remain in power as the country prepares for the first general elections in a decade.

Days before the nine-member council was dissolved, the U.S. deployed a warship and two U.S. Coast Guard boats to waters near Haiti's capital, where gangs control 90% of Port-au-Prince.

"The naval presence appears to provide the latest proof of Washington's willingness to use the threat of force to shape politics in the Western Hemisphere," said Diego Da Rin, an analyst with the International Crisis Group.

In late January, two of the council's most influential members announced th...