May 10, 2024
Haiti’s new unelected governing body, the Transitional Presidential Council, was sworn in on April 25. As Reuters notes, “[t]he transitional government’s mandate runs until February 2026, by when there are slated to be elections, and cannot be renewed. No date has been set for its naming of a new prime minister or council president.”
Most U.S. media news coverage is currently focused on Israel/Palestine, Donald Trump’s first criminal trial, upcoming elections, or sporting events, meaning that the plight of our Caribbean neighbor Haiti takes a back seat once again. This is true even though our government, over the years, has been one of the major players in Haitian politics, interventions, and invasions. This week, let’s take some time to become more aware of the dire situation there, and to do what we can to help and support the Haitian people on the island, as well as the Haitian American community here in the U.S.
Voters credit Biden and Trump equally on
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According to news reports, the council members are already at odds with each other, and questions are being raised about why the Haitian people will have to wait almost two years for elections.
RELATED STORY: Caribbean Matters: The push for yet another ‘intervention’ in Haiti
Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean.
As Juhakenson Blaise and Fritznel D. Octave wrote May 2 for The Haitian Times:
Who’s running Haiti?
Haiti has no president and no functioning prime minister yet, but a nine-member presidential council run by Edgard Gardy Leblanc Fils
The appointments of former Senator Edgard Gardy Leblanc Fils as president of the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) and former Sports Minister Fritz Bélizaire as prime minister have stirred reactions and confusion in Haiti and the Haitian Diaspora following an unexpected “majority” vote under a new faction created within the TPC. Four out of seven voting members of the council made these appointments simultaneously on Tuesday under a newly formed faction known as the Indissoluble Majority Bloc (BMI, per its French acronym).
The move has sparked tensions among the remaining council members, who view the bloc’s actions as dishonest.
[…]
The guidelines under which any governing body in Haiti operates must be in accordance with the rules and policies set forth by Caricom-mediated discussions. Under these guidelines, the nine members must run the country together— seven members with voting rights and two, without, serving as council observers.
It was also under the purview of the council as a whole to appoint a prime minister as head of the country’s government. BMI, however, attempted to designate Fritz Bélizaire without input from the entire group, stalling his confirmation due to opposition from the other three non-consulted council members.
CBS News consulted The Haitian Times’ founder and publisher, Garry Pierre-Pierre, for this April 30 report on the selection of the TPC.