HAITI | Nine-Member Council for Haiti's Transition Government Finalized

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, April 8, 2024 - The Caribbean Community, CARICOM, is now reviewing the political accord which will serve as the framework to establish Haiti’s new transitional government after it was forwarded to the Regional Organization late Sundy.. 

According to a report from the Miami Herald’s Jacqueline Charles,  the framework provides for a 22-month transitional government that will be charged with returning order to the chaos filled Port au Prince capital of Haiti  and pave the way toward the election of a new president in two years for swearing in on Feb. 7, 2026.

Ms Charles’s report says  “a nine-member ruling council, made up of seven voting members and two non-voting observers, was named by a cross-section of political parties and civil society organizations whose leaders also signed the final document over the weekend along with the council members.”

The accord, as well as an outline of the proposed presidential council’s powers, and functions, were sent to the Caribbean Community late Sunday. 

According to the  Herald, the agreement will be forwarded to Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is being kept out of Haiti after he was prevented from returning to violence-plagued Port-au-Prince via the neighboring Dominican Republic. 

Henry and his council of ministers will need to sign off on the deal in order to publish the ordinance establishing the transitional body in the country’s official gazette, Le Moniteur. Once published, the council will officially be established. The next step will be its swearing-in.

The Council will consist of the following persons and organizations:

• Former Sen. Edgard LeBlanc Fils - Collective of Political Parties of January 30
• Former Sen. Louis Gérald Gilles   - December 21 Agreement
• Former Amb. Smith Augustin -  The EDE/RED/Compromis Historique Coalition
• Former Diaspora Minister Leslie Voltaire - Fanmi Lavalas
• Former Interim PM Fritz Alphonse Jean -  The Montana Accord
• Judge Emmanuel Vertilaire -  Platform Pitit Desalin Party
• Business person Laurent Saint-Cyr - Private Sector representative
• Pastor Frinel Joseph - Civil Society Non Voting Member
• Agronomist Régine Abraham - Inter-faith community Non Voting Member

The accord ends nearly a month of negotiations to figure out a path for the selection of a new prime minister to replace the resigned Ariel Henry, name a head for the council and form a new government.

The first order of business will be to name a new prime minister to replace Ariel Henry who was unable to return to Haiti after finalizing an agreement in Kenya for the multinational force’s deployment.

Applicants for the job of prime minister will be limited to 15 nominations. The person needs to have been at least 35 years old, born in Haiti, have residence in the country and commit to residing there throughout the mandate.

In addition to having a good knowledge of public administration and high-level managerial experience, the next prime minister needs to have developed “excellent community skills” and “mastered the art of negotiation,” the ordinance says.

The council says it will make its headquarters in the National Palace, and some members have insisted that their installation take place on the premises.

While the Council has committed to accepting the deployment of a Multinational Security Support mission, they have yet to declare clearly whether the mission will be welcomed. They are also yet to provide details on how they will deal with the gangs overrunning the capital.

In the meantime, while the United States,  Britain and Canada pump billions of dollars into the destruction of Ukraine, and the genocidal elimination of Palestinians in the Gaza, The United Nations, CARICOM, and the United States are finding it difficult to raise half a billion dollars for a Multinational Security Support mission to Haiti.

A trust fund to finance the deployment still only has $10.8 million, while the United States has pledged some two hundred million dollars.

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