Haiti’s 9-member Transitional Presidential Council installed

– Caricom lauds move as opportunity to craft new beginning

A nine-member Transitional Presidential Council has been installed in Haiti as efforts continue to stabilise the Caribbean nation that has been riddled with gang-fuelled violence over the years.
Thursday’s installation of the Transition Council also formalised the resignation of embattled Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was forced to step down in March amid mounting pressure from a spiralling security breakdown and concerted efforts of stakeholders from the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and Haiti, with the assistance of the international community, to broker a way forward.
In a statement on Thursday evening, the Caricom Secretariat welcomed the formal installation of the Council, which it said marks a significant achievement through a process driven by Haitians in the interest of Haiti.
According to Caricom, this move also represents a critical step forward for both the Council and the people of Haiti in addressing the protracted multidimensional crisis afflicting the country.
“This is an opportunity to craft a new beginning which will give all Haitians renewed hope for a return to constitutional government, stability and sustained development,” it stated.
Caricom Heads of Government, according to the missive, are fully aware that Thursday’s installation, albeit significant, is but one of many necessary steps forward given the daunting challenges confronting the Council and the people of Haiti.
To this end, it added, “Caricom is reminded of the commitments made by the Transitional Presidential Council and stands ready to support it, and the Haitian people, in their efforts to put Haiti back on the road to constitutional and democratic legitimacy, stability and sovereignty and to ensure the proper functioning of the State’s institutions.”
“The inclusive and representative nature of the Council, which is unprecedented in Haiti, is significant. The Community wishes the Council all success as it embarks on a historic task on behalf of the people of Haiti.”
Those on the nine-member Transitional Presidential Council are Louis Gerald Gilles, Frinel Joseph, Emmanuel Vertilaire, Laurent Saint-Cyr, Michel Patrick Boisvert, Jean Joseph Lebrun, Edgard Leblanc Fils, Regine Abraham, Fritz Alphonse Jean, Leslie Voltaire and Smith Augustin.
Based on reports, of the nine members of the Transition Council, only seven have voting powers. It was also reported that former Finance Minister under the Henry regime, Michel Patrick Boisvert, will serve as Haiti’s interim Prime Minister until the transition council appoints a new Head of Government and a Cabinet.
Only last week, when it was announced that Haiti had established the Transitional Presidential Council, Caricom, which is chaired by President Dr Irfaan Ali, had stated that the move paves the way for that beleaguered country to eventually hold elections and return to some semblance of normalcy.
Through a decree, it was announced on April 12 that a nine-member Transitional Presidential Council, including seven voting and two non-voting members, had been appointed. That decree has also provided for the Council to exercise certain presidential powers until a new president-elect can be inaugurated, no later than February 7, 2026. The council’s mandate will thus end on that date, with no provision for an extension.
The creation of the transition council stemmed from agreements brokered by Caricom Heads in Kingston, Jamaica on March 11, which brought together a diverse group of Haitian political, private sector, civil society and faith-based stakeholders.
The Transitional Presidential Council has devised a framework setting out the creation, organisation and functioning of the Council, and arrived at a political accord that articulates the way forward.
Caricom Heads of Government has fully endorsed the principles of the political accord, in particular, Article 16, which states, “The mission of the Presidential Council is to put Haiti back on the road to dignity, democratic legitimacy, stability and sovereignty, and to ensure the proper functioning of the State’s institutions.”
It is also clear that one of the priorities of the newly-installed Presidential Council will be to urgently address the security situation so that Haitians can go about their daily lives in a normal manner; safely access food, water and medical services; children can return to school; women can move around without fear of horrific abuses; and so that businesses can reopen.
Haiti has been engulfed in turmoil since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. The streets have since been overrun by gangs, and there has been a continuous cycle of violence.
That violence flared even more when, in February, criminal gangs in the capital Port-au-Prince conducted coordinated attacks targeting police stations, prisons, critical infrastructure, and civilian sites in the city.
On March 2, armed gang members raided two penitentiaries, reportedly freeing some 3800 inmates, after which Haitian authorities announced a three-day State of Emergency and imposed a nighttime curfew.
According to the United Nations, Haiti’s death toll is now up to 53 per cent with more than 2500 persons killed between January and March 2024 when compared to the same period last year. (G8)