The interim council of Haiti appoints a new prime minister in an effort to stop the oppressive violence

The Caribbean nation’s newly formed transitional council selected former Sports Minister Fritz Bélizaire as prime minister on Tuesday, moving on with the enormous job of attempting to build a stable new government amidst crippling violence.

 

Michel Patrick Boisvert, the outgoing temporary prime minister and former minister of finance and the economy, is replaced by Bélizaire. Bélizaire is not well-known; in fact, a few council members claimed to know nothing about him.

A new prime minister and Cabinet were being chosen by the nine-member transitional council, seven of whom are eligible to vote, in an effort to lessen the gang violence plaguing Port-au-Prince and its surrounding areas. Four of the council’s voting members backed Bélizaire.

Tuesday saw heavy gunfire reported in a number of Port-au-Prince neighborhoods, including one close to the National Palace. It was unclear at first if the shootings were in reaction to the sudden announcement of a new prime minister.

Gunmen have destroyed villages in opposing regions, forcing more than 90,000 people to flee the city in just one month, and more than 360,000 people to become homeless altogether in recent years.

The council elected former presidential candidate Edgard Leblanc Fils as its president earlier on Tuesday.

“This is a very good choice for prime minister,” Fils told the about two dozen people present in a short address. “The important thing for us is this will, this determination to go beyond divisions, to overcome conflicts and to reach a consensus.”

He stated that in order to discuss the best way to address Haiti’s security problem, the council convened with army and police leaders on Monday.

addressing the populace, “We are publicly recognising the suffering,” he said.

It was unexpected when Bélizaire was announced. When authorities revealed that Bélizaire had been chosen as prime minister by four of the council members who could cast votes, a murmur went up among the guests.

Asking if he backed Bélizaire, voting council member Leslie Voltaire said, “I don’t know him,” to The Associated Press.

From 2006 until 2011, Bélizaire was Haiti’s minister of sports during René Préval’s second term in office.

Robert Fatton, a University of Virginia specialist on Haitian politics, described him as “kind of an unknown figure.” It seems that he lacks a constituency of his own. Perhaps this made him the most probable candidate for prime minister so that he could be accepted by other parties.”

The Associated Press was informed by council member Louis Gérald Gilles, who backed Bélizaire, that the council wished to choose a prime minister as soon as possible.

“The Haitian population can no longer wait,” he said. “The security issue is essential for societal calm.”

Almost two hours after the session was scheduled to begin, the council reconvened behind closed doors to discuss their selections for Cabinet after the short announcement. On the other hand, Voltaire said he didn’t anticipate the council making Cabinet appointments on Tuesday.

Fils, the council’s new president, Smith Augustin, Gilles, and Emmanuel Vertilaire were among the majority that backed Bélizaire.

Fatton referred to their partnership as “unlikely”: “We’ll see if it can last.”

Fils is a representative of the January 30 political bloc, which includes the PHTK party and is comprised of deceased President Jovenel Moïse and former President Michel Martelly. Augustin is a representative of the EDE/RED political party, which was established by Claude Joseph, the previous prime minister.

Gilles stands in for the Dec. 21 accord, which is connected to Ariel Henry, the previous prime minister who quit a few weeks after the gang assaults started. Vertilaire is associated with the Pitit Desalin party, which is chaired by Jean-Charles Moïse, a prominent politician who applauded the revelation on Tuesday.

About Bélizaire, Moïse said, “He is someone very important in the country.” “He knows the state pretty well—he knows how to govern.”

The country’s presidency will be assumed by the transitional council until a presidential election can be scheduled, which must happen by February 2026, when it dissolves.

The opinions of Haitians about the possibility of a transitional government bringing peace to a nation in turmoil, with the capital under siege since gangs started coordinated assaults on February 29, are still split.

Gang members have broken into Haiti’s two largest prisons, released over 4,000 prisoners, set fire to police stations, and opened fire on the major international airport, which has been closed since early March. Gang violence has also largely paralyzed the nation’s largest ports.

However, there is no denying that Haitians want security.

“Haitians are now quite irritable. They’re looking for outcomes,” stated Fatton.

It’s unclear when the UN-backed deployment of a Kenyan police force to combat gangs is anticipated to get backing from the council.

The former prime minister, Henry, is still barred from entering Haiti and was in the nation on business when the organized gang assaults started. Last week, he turned in his resignation.