PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC—Leslie Voltaire, the new head of the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC), was sworn into office on Monday despite opposition from outgoing president Edgard Leblanc Fils, who refused to sign a decree ratifying the move.
“Under my presidency, the transitional presidential council will consolidate its gains and structures to work more efficiently and transparent,” said Voltaire, an architect who represents the party of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
“Haitian people have enough of violence, lies, and corruption. We must forget our interests and prioritize those of the nation,” he added.
In his brief speech, Voltaire said that much work remains to be done in a country gripped by rampant gang violence.
“We are not satisfied with the security situation. We are working to reestablish security throughout the whole country.”
Leblanc Fils had opposed the move to allow for the rotating presidency, citing unresolved corruption accusations against three other councilors who remained voting members and signed off on the transition.
“I cannot participate in any process that will further weaken and devalue the country’s justice system,” Leblanc Fils said in a video message late on Sunday, saying the decision of the council’s majority would aggravate the instability.
The January 30 Collective of political parties, which nominated Leblanc Fils to the council, called for the three members accused of bribery to be put aside pending a judicial ruling.
Haiti’s anti-corruption unit recommended legal action in a report earlier this month. The unit stated that the three had accepted credit cards and asked for nearly US$770,000 from a state-run bank president.
Diplomat Smith Augustin, politician Louis Gerald Gilles, and former judge Emmanuel Vertilaire are the accused. All three have rejected the charges. Augustin was initially slated to succeed Leblanc Fils as the council’s president.
However, the three would be kept on the council under the resolution.
In a brief statement last Friday, the council acknowledged the report accusing the three members of corruption and said it would immediately take all measures to guarantee the state’s stability. It also signed a resolution modifying the rotating presidency.
The dispute between Leblanc Fils and the rest of the TPC is creating new problems in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country still reeling from the gang massacre of at least 70 people last week, with Prime Minister Garry Conille seeking security assistance abroad.
“One of the aims of this trip is to go to Kenya to discuss with President Ruto how we can speed up the deployment of remnants of the Kenyan troops as quickly as possible to continue supporting the national police force,” Conille said.
Last week, the United Nations Security Council authorized an international security force to continue for another year. The force is intended to help local police fight gangs and maintain law and order.
Haiti named the TPC in April after intense negotiations between various sectors of the Caribbean nation’s political and civil alliances. It was empowered to choose a prime minister and wield certain presidential powers until conditions were considered secure enough for a new election.
During his address, Voltaire called for a minute of silence for the more than 70 people killed during last Thursday’s attack by gang members in Pont-Sondé, a small town in central Haiti.
The council was formed to replace the government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was forced to step down amid a gang conflict that has killed thousands and forced over 700,000 people from their homes.
Haiti has been without an elected government after President Jovenelle Moise was assassinated at his private residence on July 7, 2021.
and then , was sworn into office on Monday despite opposition){kind=link}