Haiti President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated at his residence in the capital Port-au-Prince on July 7. His wife Martine was also injured in the attack. The assassination added to the crisis in the Caribbean country that is already struggling with political unrest and socio-economic challenges.

And now there are two Prime Ministers in Haiti.

The chaos

Haiti is the world’s first independent republic to be led by coloured (black) people. In 1803, slaves successfully rebelled against Napoleon Bonaparte’s French army.

Haiti has had a continuing and distressing history of dictatorships, coups, international interventions and not very successful democratic experiments.

In 2010, the country was battered by a devastating earthquake that killed at least 300,000 people.

Jovenel Moïse

The 53-year-old self-proclaimed ‘Banana Man’ (an ex-plantation manager), who came from the countryside, contested the 2016 presidential election and promised a new start. His predecessor President Michel Martelly left office on February 7, 2016, without a clear successor.

Though he was elected in November 2016, Moïse assumed office only on February 7, 2017, amid protests and allegations of fraud. He aspired to strengthen institutions and end corruption, but things went from bad to worse.

Opposition leaders quoted the Haitian Constitution (Article 134-1) to claim that Moïse’s five-year term ended on February 7, 2021, as Martelly had stepped down on February 7, 2016.

But Moïse said he had one more year in office as he officially took over on February 7, 2017.

Opposition leaders wanted to bar President Moïse from seeking re-election.

A coup

Countrywide protests followed in Haiti after Moïse’s refused to step down and also because his government didn’t hold legislative elections in 2019.

While Moïse promised to hold pending elections within 12 months, he attempted to rewrite the Constitution to curb the power of the prime minister.

Armed gangs started getting active.

The opposition appointed a parallel government with Joseph Mécène Jean-Louis, a Supreme Court judge, being the interim President.

Moïse called it a ‘coup’ and arrested nearly 12 opposition leaders.

Arrests

A 28-member team comprising Americans and Colombians assassinated President Jovenel Moise, Haitian police said. Haiti’s national police chief Leon Charles said that eight were still absconding.

Taiwan confirmed late on July 8 that 11 of the suspects were arrested on its embassy property.

What next?

The Supreme Court chief of Haiti is supposed to be in charge as per the Constitution, after an abrupt departure of the President. But the position is vacant as Supreme Court President Rene Sylvestre died of COVID-19 in June.

There is no leader whom the National Assembly could elect as elections have not been held after the last Parliament’s term expired.

Before the assassination, Moïse had announced on July 5 that he wanted Ariel Henry, a neurosurgeon with close ties to the opposition, to replace Joseph.

Henry was expected to take over as Prime Minister on July 8.

Meanwhile, Joseph has already taken charge and declared a state of emergency. He has deployed the military and curbed media coverage of the incident.

First Published:Jul 9, 2021 3:43 PM IST