Haiti: Haiti has legally instituted a transitional council to fill a leadership void left by the departure of the current prime minister and to bring peace to the Caribbean nation beset by gang violence.
Ariel Henry, the prime minister, tendered his resignation last month amid a spate of armed gang attacks in Port-au-Prince. The Presidential Transitional Council was established, as per a proclamation published in the official gazette.
Henry did not respond to the decree’s release right away, and there are still concerns about the nine-member council’s sustainability in the absence of information regarding when it will be seated and how the next prime minister and cabinet will be chosen.
It stated that until a new body appoints Henry’s successor, the council and Henry shall rule the nation.
“To put Haiti back on the road to dignity, democratic legitimacy, stability and sovereignty and to ensure the proper functioning of the State’s institutions,” said a statement from the regional bloc Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM).
In addition, the order stated that the council would expedite Henry’s request in 2022 for the deployment of foreign troops to support law enforcement in their fight against armed and increasingly potent gangs.
It mandates that the council have its headquarters at the National Palace in the heart of Port-au-Prince, which has faced criticism on multiple occasions in recent weeks.
The announcement was hailed by US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller, who said that it will hasten the deployment of a multinational force and “pave the way for free and fair elections” in the nation.
WORLD ROUNDUP | Haitian PM Ariel Henry resigns as law & order crumbles
