NAIROBI, Kenya, CMC – President William Ruto has welcomed the publication in Haiti of the decree confirming the creation of the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) tasked with choosing new political leadership and setting up elections in the crisis-torn French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country, paving the way for the election of a new prime minister
“This decision is evident of the collective courage and singular sacrifice of the Haitian Council of Cabinet to forge a Haiti free of violence and to entrench a new democratic administration. We look forward to the PTC moving quickly to appoint the Prime Minister and Cabinet,” Ruto said on his official “X” account.
He added, “I commend the leadership of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for their steadfast stewardship of the intense consultations that led to the establishment of a Presidential Transitional Council that reflects the diverse sections of Haitian society.”
In March, Kenya and Haiti signed an agreement allowing the African country to lead a United Nations Security Council-sanctioned Multinational Security Mission (MSS) to restore peace and security in Haiti.
At the signing, President Ruto asked all the other partners worldwide to step up so that “we can respond in good time.”
Last October, the UN Security Council authorized the deployment of the MSS to back Haiti’s beleaguered police force, which Kenya offered to lead. A 2022 sanctions regime targeting gang leaders and their financiers was also renewed.
In addition to Kenya, Mali, and the Bahamas, one hundred fifty people have committed. Jamaica, Antigua, and Barbuda said they were willing to help. Benin has also offered 2,000 troops.
However, since witnessing the signing of the agreement, Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry has been unable to return to his homeland. He has been holed up in the American state of Puerto Rico as criminal gangs forced the closure of the international report and demanded his resignation.
Henry, who was sworn in as prime minister with the backing of the international community shortly after the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, has already indicated that he would step down once the CPT is officially installed. A new prime minister was sworn in ahead of the fresh elections.
President Ruto said in his message posted on X, “Kenya expresses confidence that the new political leadership will lay a strong foundation for resolving the crisis in Haiti, restoring security, afford the Haitian people a political transition, and usher in sustainable peace and development.
He added, “Kenya reiterates its strong solidarity with Haiti and stands ready to contribute within the framework elaborated in the UN Security Council Resolution 2699 of 2023.”
Last weekend, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the 15-member CARICOM grouping welcomed the establishment of the CPT.
For his part, Guterres urged “all Haitian stakeholders to continue making progress in putting in place transitional governance arrangements, including the timely appointment of an interim Prime Minister and government, and the nomination of the members of the Provisional Electoral Council.”
Guterres said he had also noted the CPTl’s functions, including working with all members of the international community to accelerate the deployment of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission authorized last year by the UN Security Council.
In welcoming the publication of the decree establishing the CPT, CARICOM said it “signals the possibility of a new beginning” for the French-speaking CARICOM country.
“CARICOM has supported Haiti, its sister nation, through the challenging process of arriving at a Haitian-owned formula for governance that will take the troubled country from elections to the restoration of the lapsed state institutions and constitutional government,” the 15-member regional integration movement said in a statement.
In its statement, CARICOM said the CPT “devised a framework setting out the creation, organization, and functioning of the Council, and arrived at a Political Accord articulating the way forward.
The statement added, ” The CARICOM Heads of Government fully endorse the principles of the Political Accord and take note of 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.”
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