Following the killing of the late President Jovenel Moise on July 7, 2021, gang violence became a scourge that began in February 2022, resulting in a severe humanitarian catastrophe for the poor French-speaking Caribbean nation. Many are forced to leave their homes because of the effects of this ongoing war to avoid famine or grisly death.
After visiting Kenya to convince the government to deploy several troops to help the country tackle gang violence, former prime minister Ariel Henry chose to step down in March 2024, leaving the country without a head of state. Additionally, the public rallies that demanded the PM resign were also a catalyst for his actions along with being pressured to do so by Washington.
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The goal of the 22-month transitional administration, which will be tasked with restoring law and order to the capital beset by gang activity and laying the groundwork for elections that will usher in a new president on February 7, 2026, is to be completed by the leaders of Haiti.
A diverse range of political parties and civil society organizations nominated a nine-member ruling council, consisting of seven voting members and two non-voting observers. The heads of these groups also signed the final document over the weekend with the council members.
The agreement brings an end to nearly a month of talks aimed at determining how to choose a new prime minister to succeed departing leader Ariel Henry, choose a head of the council, and establish a new government.
Members bestow upon themselves significant influence over the future administration, including the power to remove the next prime minister, a duty often reserved for an elected legislature, and to appoint individuals to many newly established commissions, such as the National Security Commission.
Late on Sunday, the agreement and an ordinance defining the authority, responsibilities, and goals of the proposed presidential council were forwarded to the Caribbean Community, often known as CARICOM. Henry will get the deal. Henry is being held out of Haiti since he was not allowed to enter the neighboring Dominican Republic and return to the violent Port-au-Prince. The agreement must be approved by Henry and his council of ministers before the decree creating the transitional body can be published in Le Moniteur, the nation’s official gazette. The council will be formally created upon publication. Its swearing-in will be the following action.
It’s unclear when exactly that will occur. The council has said that the National Palace would serve as its headquarters, and a few members have demanded that their installation happen there. Armed gang members have been persistently attacking the palace’s administrative offices to seize power and appoint their transitional president a former rebel commander.
Even though security is a top concern, the council members who agreed to support the deployment of a multinational security support mission are unsure about whether or not they will support it. Furthermore, they don’t say how they plan to handle the gangs taking over the capital.
The council lists institutional and constitutional change as well as a route to elections as its top goals in addition to security.
However, appointing a new prime minister will be the primary priority.
There will be a cap of fifteen nominations for the prime minister position. The presidential council has been less stringent when it comes to the prime minister’s credentials, even if it has adhered closely to Haiti’s constitution regarding its requirements, which include being at least 35 years old and having lived in the country for the previous five years.
The individual must have been born in Haiti, be a resident of the nation, and pledge to stay there for the duration of the mandate. The future prime minister must possess not just extensive managerial experience and a solid understanding of public administration, but also developed “excellent community skills” and “mastered the art of negotiation,” the law states.
The plan, according to critics, is ambitious because it calls for a national conference on truth and reconciliation, economic recovery, and the adoption of a new constitution. However, the country needs a government that can pull Haiti out of its current crisis, which sees armed groups controlling more than 80% of the capital and more than a million people facing starvation. The main harbor has been closed and foreign flights into the city have been suspended for almost a month due to the continuous unrest.
A lawyer who has examined the agreement, Camille Fievre, claims that the presidential council is “far from our constitutional logic and practice” and believes “there will be duplication in the functioning of the state apparatus, which will lead to paralysis.”
He stated, “If these members were unable to elect a president for more than three weeks of procrastination, how will they be effective after their installation?” He further mentioned, “As for the council of ministers, how will decisions be taken and what functions will the other members of the presidential council have? It will be a real cacophony.”
The presence of a political framework in Haiti is highly valued by the Caribbean Community, the United States, and France in the hopes of deploying an international force under the command of Kenya to support the Haiti National Police in their fight against armed gangs.
Kenya postponed the idea until after the new administration was formed. The country of East Africa has said that funding is required for the force before it can be sent into action.
The Collective of political parties of the January 30, December 21 Agreement, EDE/RED/Compromise Historique, Fanim Lavalas, Montana Accord, Platform Pitit Desalin Party, Private Sector, Civil Society, and the Inter-Faith Community are groups who have elected members to the council and their representatives on the panel.
