Status: 07/19/2021 7:49 p.m.
After the murder of President Moïse, a power struggle had broken out in Haiti. Now interim Prime Minister Joseph gives in and resigns. Previously, representatives of the international community had stood behind his competitors.
Two weeks after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, a new government is being formed in the Caribbean country. Transitional Prime Minister Claude Joseph gives in to the power struggle and will resign. Election minister Mathias Pierre confirmed corresponding media reports to the dpa news agency.
Joseph is handing over the office to ex-Home Secretary Ariel Henry on Tuesday, but remains Secretary of State. The AFP reported, citing government circles, that the new government would organize elections “as soon as possible”.
Appointed but not yet sworn in
Moïse had named Henry Prime Minister less than 36 hours before his death. Since Henry was not sworn in at the time of Moïse’s murder, the previous Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Joseph remained in office. He is now stepping down for the good of the nation, Joseph told the Washington Post.
On Saturday, representatives from the United Nations, the Organization of American States and several foreign ambassadors stood behind Henry after they had initially recognized Joseph as interim prime minister. In a communication, they strongly encouraged 71-year-old neurosurgeon Henry to form a “consensual and inclusive” government.
No quorum parliament
On July 5, the head of state Moïse appointed Henry the seventh Prime Minister of his term in office and tasked him with forming a government. When Joseph resumed government after Moïse’s death, Henry behaved cautiously, but said in an interview with Le Nouvelliste that he believed he was the real interim prime minister. Since Haiti has not had a quorate parliament since the beginning of 2020, neither of them was constitutionally confirmed.
The 53-year-old Moïse was attacked and shot in his residence by a heavily armed commando on the night of July 7th. According to police, Colombian mercenaries carried out the murder. A Haitian doctor who lived in the United States and an ex-employee of the Haitian Department of Justice are said to be behind it.