Havana [Cuba], May 2: Edgard Leblanc Fils on Tuesday was elected as the chairman of Haiti's newly created transitional presidential council, in what is considered an important step on the way out of the country's serious political crisis.
The seven voting members of the council elected the former Senate president from among their ranks on Tuesday.
According to media reports, a majority of the council also voted for former sports minister Fritz Belizaire to become the new interim prime minister. However, there were also complaints that his election was not in accordance with the rules.
The creation of the transitional council was agreed at a meeting of the Caribbean Community Caricom in Jamaica on March 11 with a view to put an end to the serious violence engulfing the country. Its members were sworn in on Thursday. Interim prime minister Ariel Henry Henry then resigned as he had pledged he would do.
The neurosurgeon took over following the murder of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, but did not return at the end of February from a trip abroad. The powerful gangs dominating the country demanded his resignation.
The council is tasked with appointing a new interim government to pave the way for the first elections since 2016 while supporting a multinational security mission which has been approved by the UN Security Council. According to the plan, Haiti should have a new president by February 7, 2026.
Even before the latest escalation, armed groups controlled around 80 percent of Port-au-Prince, according to UN figures.
More than 360,000 people in Haiti have been forced to leave their homes due to the crisis and are considered displaced persons in their own country. The already acute hunger crisis has worsened.
Source: Qatar Tribune