Haiti comes nearer to getting interim government

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Haiti seems set to be run by a brand-new interim government, possibly as early as this week, as nearly all the systems that have to be in place to implement it have been ticked off.

All nine members of the transitional presidential council have been named and have taken up their seats at the planning table, less than a month after Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders sat with them at an emergency summit in Jamaica. They have collectively worked out the modalities of an interim government to fill the vacuum left by the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, which delayed general elections and left the country mostly without elected officials and lawmakers.

The early domestic resistance to the establishment of an interim government appears to have abated. In the past week, the last two holdout groups named representatives to sit on the council, which has two spots for non-voting civil society members from religious organizations and the private sector. The other seven come from the main opposition parties. One delegate is the Fanmi Lavalas organization, which was led by former President Jean Bertrand Aristide.

Over the weekend, regional bloc chair and Guyanese President Irfaan Ali sent a letter to outgoing Prime Minister Ariel Henry at his temporary exile spot in Puerto Rico, notifying him that the entire council is now in place. Ali’s letter reminded Henry of his promise to resign once that happened, and pointed out that he should cooperate with the council in moving systems and procedures forward.

“This entity is expected to facilitate a smooth and peaceful transition of power and ensure the continuity of governance, paving the way for free and fair elections in the shortest possible time,” Ali said.

Henry has been lying low in Puerto Rico because heavily armed groups, which have been terrorizing the country for almost three years, have threatened to kill him if he returns to Haiti. They have also blocked roads to the main airport in the capital, preventing his return from overseas trips to Kenya and Guyana where he attended a meeting of regional leaders. Henry, a 74-year-old neurosurgeon, has been doing as much as he can from Puerto Rico while Caricom and the local stakeholders work to put together a new government.

“It is incumbent on you to take the necessary procedural formalities to facilitate the immediate installation of the transitional presidential council leading to the naming of an interim prime minister,” Ali said in the missive, dated March 28. “This is a critical and urgent first step to allow the council to commence functioning and to initiate the accelerated deployment of a multilateral security support [MSS] mission authorized by the UNSCR 2699/2023. The MSS is intended to support the Haitian National Police in bringing the country to a situation of security and stability for the holding of free and fair general elections to pave the way for long-term recovery, growth, and development of Haiti. Caricom will revert to you once the name of the interim prime minister is known.”

Over the weekend, Caricom sent a number of other legal documents to Haiti, including an order for the formal nomination of council members and a decree that would provide for its functioning. It also listed the nominees or delegates who will eventually form part of an interim cabinet. 

Regional officials are hoping that a local judge will be able to swear in the members as early as this week, as the security situation continues to deteriorate. A government is badly needed to formally invite the international security force to Haiti and liaise with it and the United Nations. Kenya has offered to lead the force alongside officers from Benin, as well as troops and police officers from various Caricom nations. Training of Caricom forces began in the past week in Jamaica and other destinations.