(Port-au-Prince) More than three weeks after the resignation of the contested Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, the establishment of a presidential transition council is still awaited in Haiti, prey to political instability and gang violence.
The installation of this formation which is to take the reins of the country has been delayed by political disagreements, and is now facing legal obstacles, two Haitian political leaders told AFP on Friday.
Due to its exceptional nature, its creation does not appear in the Haitian constitution, which raises questions about its legality. The political forces which must compose it were therefore working on Friday on an agreement governing the existence of this council, two members of these parties told AFP.
The formation of this future governing body was initially delayed by disagreements between the personalities who were to compose it.
The announcement of the future formation of this council was made on March 11 during a meeting between Haitian representatives and those of several countries and organizations including the Caribbean Community (Caricom) during which Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced his resignation at a time when the Caribbean country was experiencing a surge in violence.
PHOTO ANDREW KASUKU, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Former Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry
The outgoing government of Ariel Henry validated Wednesday evening the draft decree relating to the appointment of this council, Haitian representatives said Friday.
“The parties have until this evening to transmit these two documents to Caricom which will be responsible for submitting them to the government for publication in the newspaper Le Moniteur”, the official newspaper, said a member of the December 21 collective, a political group by Ariel Henry.
This body must represent the main Haitian political forces as well as the private sector, civil society and the religious community. It is made up of seven voting members and two non-voting observer members, and will have to choose an interim prime minister and appoint an “inclusive” government.
Haiti has no longer had a president since the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in 2021 and no longer has a functioning Parliament. The last elections took place in 2016.
In late February, powerful Haitian gangs, which control more than 80% of the capital and crucial highways, teamed up to attack police stations, prisons, the airport and the seaport in an effort to oust Ariel Henry.
More than 50,000 people have fled the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince in three weeks to seek shelter from the escalating violence, according to a United Nations agency.