HThe aitis Senate elected its predecessor, Joseph Lambert, as the transitional successor to the murdered President Jovenel Moïse. Lambert wrote on Twitter on Friday night (local time): “I express my heartfelt thanks to the political institutions that support me.” He wants to pave the way for democratic changes in power. Haitian presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in September.
However, the Senate-the upper house of the Haitian Parliament-no longer has a quorum since January 2020. Therefore, it was not clear at first whether Lambert could actually take office. As the parliamentary elections originally scheduled for October 2019 were cancelled due to violent protests against Moise, only 10 of the 30 senators have yet to expire. No one sits in the House of Commons, which is the House of Representatives. According to media reports, eight out of ten senators voted for Lambert and two abstained.
Prior to this, several politicians in the Caribbean country that shares Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic agreed on Friday to Lambert as the interim head of state. This comes from a letter signed by representatives of several political parties and movements, including the conservative PHTK, of which Moïse is a member. However, the signatures of some important forces have also disappeared.
Two competing prime ministers
Neurosurgeon Ariel Henry will become interim prime minister and head of government. Moise appointed him to work in the office on Monday. Henry was originally scheduled to be sworn in on Wednesday, but was cancelled after the assassination attempt.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and former interim prime minister Claude Joseph declared himself head of government. Therefore, in the past few days, he addressed the country, signed laws and held talks with representatives of foreign governments. In an interview with the Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste, Henry said that he believed he was the prime minister-not Joseph.
Americans do not provide military assistance
The United States rejected a request for military support from the Haitian government to protect important infrastructure such as airports and ports. A senior Washington official stated that the United States “at this time” has no plans to provide military assistance to Haiti. In a conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Brinken on Wednesday, Joseph made a request for security support. The United States controlled Haiti as an occupying power from 1915 to 1934. Election Minister Matthias Pierre said that the UN Security Council has also been asked to help.
Since the murder attack on Moise on Wednesday night, Haiti has plunged into a deeper political crisis, which may exacerbate hunger, gang violence and the outbreak of Covid-19. The 53-year-old head of state was attacked and shot at his residence. His wife Martin was seriously injured. It is being treated in the United States. According to Haitian police, 28 foreign mercenaries committed the murders: 26 Colombians and two Haitian Americans. At present, 20 suspects have been arrested and 3 people have been shot dead. The background of the bill is unclear.
Since taking office in 2017, Moise has been extremely unpopular. He was accused of corruption, ties to barbaric gangs, and authoritarian tendencies. In February, the opposition party had appointed a Supreme Court judge as interim president because they believed that Moise’s term had expired. In the past three years, protests have paralyzed Haiti time and time again. Recently, the bloody struggle between gangs to control parts of the capital has displaced thousands of people.
