After almost two years, Haiti’s transitional presidential council handed power to US-backed Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime on Saturday.
The nine-member council stepped down after failing to curb rampant gang violence during its two-year rule, leaving the Caribbean country in political limbo and Fils-Aime as the only politician with executive power.
“Our watchwords are clear: security, political dialogue, elections, stability. Mr. prime minister, in this historic moment, I know that you are gauging the depth of the responsibility you are taking on for the country,” Council President Laurent Saint-Cyr told Fils-Aime.
Why did the presidential council resign?
Haiti, the poorest country in Latin America, has long struggled with deadly gang violence, frequent murders, rapes and kidnappings. The council failed to curb the growing risk of gang violence, and its term was marked by food insecurity, corruption accusations and political infighting.
In late January, several council members admitted they were seeking to oust the prime minister, even though the US warned of serious consequences and backed Fils-Aime remaining in office after February 7. The US also said the council must relinquish power and imposed sanctions on five council members.
“As the Transitional Presidential Council’s mandate ends on February 7, we support Prime Minister Fils-Aime’s leadership in building a strong, prosperous and free Haiti,” the US Embassy in Haiti said.
What now?
Fils-Aime must now fill the political vacuum and organize elections in Haiti, where no national elections have been held since 2016. About 1.4 million people, or roughly 10% of the population, face displacement and acute food insecurity amid ongoing violence.
US Senator Marco Rubio has stressed “the importance of his continued tenure as Haiti’s prime minister to combat terrorist gangs and stabilize the island.”
Days before the council dissolved, the US sent three warships to the capital, Port-au-Prince, where roughly 90% is reported to be under gang control. “The naval presence appears to provide the latest proof of Washington’s willingness to use the threat of force to shape politics in the western hemisphere,” said Diego Da Rin, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, to the Associated Press.
Edited by: Sean Sinico