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Transitional Presidential Council

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Transitional Presidential Council
Conseil présidentiel de transition
Presidential standard of Haiti

Members of the Transitional Presidential Council following the installation ceremony on 25 April 2024
Agency overview
Formed12 April 2024; 7 months ago (2024-04-12)
Preceding agency
TypeTransitional government
StatusActive (since 25 April 2024 (2024-04-25))
HeadquartersNational Palace, Port-au-Prince, Haiti[1]
Agency executive
Key document
  • Decree of Special Issue No. 14, Volume 179 ("Décret Portant Création du Conseil Présidentiel de Transition")[3]

The Transitional Presidential Council (TPC; French: Conseil présidentiel de transition; Haitian Creole: Konsèy Prezidansyèl Tranzisyon) is a temporary body constituted by the Council of Ministers on 12 April 2024 and sworn in at the National Palace on 25 April to exercise the powers and duties of the president of Haiti either until an elected president is inaugurated or until 7 February 2026, whichever comes first.

Background

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Jimmy "Barbecue" Chérizier (pictured) led demands for change of the government,[4] but later threatened to attack any person who accepted appointment to the newly-formed TPC.

The gradual disintegration of Haitian state institutions during the Haitian crisis led to calls for acting prime minister Ariel Henry to step aside and surrender the de facto head of state functions.[5] The demands were led by Jimmy "Barbecue" Chérizier, a former police officer who heads a coalition of gangs in Haiti,[4] and Guy Philippe, a former senator and convict.[6][7] Henry was seen as illegitimate since he took over after the 7 July 2021 assassination of president Jovenel Moïse, and had repeatedly postponed the general elections which he had promised to organize.[8] On 11 March 2024, Henry announced that he would resign and that a transitional council (whose membership would be determined in Jamaica at an emergency CARICOM meeting) would select an interim prime minister.[9]

On 3 April 2024, the transitional presidential council set up at the CARICOM meeting on 11 March had finalized its provisional list of representatives, who were appointed by the Council of Ministers on 16 April.[10]

After weeks of negotiation, a deal was sent to CARICOM on 7 April for a temporary government whose mandate will end on 7 February 2026.[11] One of the council's tasks is to elect a prime minister, who cannot already be a member of the transitional council or the provisional government.[12] The transitional council was officially created by a governmental decree published in Le Moniteur on 12 April.[13][3] The names of the nine members of the TPC were published on 16 April,[10] and they were sworn in at the National Palace on 25 April amidst the sounds of automatic gunfire.[14] Prior to the announcement of Ariel Henry's resignation and the inauguration of the TPC, Michel Patrick Boisvert was named interim prime minister by the Council of Ministers.[14]

Actions

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On 30 April 2024, Edgard Leblanc Fils was named president of the TPC, and Fritz Bélizaire was designated as the prime minister by a majority of four votes, although the latter choice was contested within the council.[15] As a result, the council members agreed to have the chairmanship being rotated every five months among Fils, Louis Gérald Gilles, Leslie Voltaire and Smith Augustin. In addition, it also set up a requirement of five votes instead of four to form a majority.[16] The council later started accepting submissions for the position of Prime Minister from 13–17 May.[17] In late May 2024, the council extended the tenure of interim Prime Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert for another month, and on 27 May six of the seven members with voting rights chose former UN Special Envoy Bill Clinton's chief of staff and former prime minister Garry Conille as his successor, discarding the earlier vote that selected Bélizaire.[18] Conille and members of the council met several times after his swearing-in, agreeing on names of 13 ministers to be a part of his cabinet, with the ministers being named on 11 June 2024.[19] The council and the new government later agreed to replace the director-general of the Haitian National Police.[20] On 7 October 2024, Voltaire was named to replace Fils as president of the council.[21]

Composition

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Under the terms of the decree of 12 April 2024, the Transitional Presidential Council consists of seven voting and two non-voting members.[22] The voting members include one representative from each of four political party coalitions (Accord du 30 août 2021, Accord du 21 décembre 2022, Collectif des Partis politiques, and Compromis Historique/RED/EDE), two political parties (Fanmi Lavalas and Platfòm Pitit Desalin), and "the private sector". The non-voting members include one representative from civil society and one representative from "the interfaith community".[3] On 16 April, the Primature confirmed the appointment of the nine members nominated by the Transitional Presidential Council in Kingston.[10]

Qualifications

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Members of the TPC must meet the requirements for holding the office of president as established under Article 135 of the Constitution of Haiti and are disqualified from standing for the presidency in the next election.[3] Differences introduced in the decree include that individuals are ineligible for appointment to the Council if they have been sanctioned by the United Nations, if they are under criminal indictment or have been found guilty of a crime in any jurisdiction, or if they oppose the introduction of the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti. Similarly, the government added in article 5 that all members must pursue the accelerated deployment of the international security force.[23][24]

Composition of TPC[25][26][27]
Voting member Party / Group[α]
Leslie Voltaire (Chairman) Fanmi Lavalas
Edgard Leblanc Fils[29] Struggling People's Organization/30 January Collective
Smith Augustin EDE [fr]/RED-Historic Compromise
Fritz Jean Montana Accord [fr; ht]
Laurent Saint-Cyr Private sector
Louis Gérald Gilles 21 December Agreement
Emmanuel Vertilaire Platfòm Pitit Desalin
Observer Party / Group
Regine Abraham Rally for a National Agreement (REN)
Frinel Joseph Religious sector
  1. ^ EDE / RED / Historic compromise counts Jovenel Moïse's prime minister Claude Joseph among its leadership, while 21 December Agreement is close to deposed prime minister Ariel Henry. The private sector refers to allied business associations including, for example, the ADIH.[28]

Authority and mandate

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Under the terms of the decree of 12 April, the Transitional Presidential Council will exercise functions of the office of president until such time as a new president is elected and inaugurated.[22] Its mandate to act concludes on 7 February 2026.[22] The TPC's authority extends to the appointment of a prime minister and government and Henry has agreed to resign from the office of prime minister at such time as the TPC designates someone else to hold the office.[22]

Allegations of corruption

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On 2 October 2024, an official anti-corruption unit of the government recommended judicial review of three members of the Transitional Council—Smith Augustin, Gérald Gilles, and Emmanuel Vertilaire—for abuse of function, bribery, and passive corruption.[30]

Reaction

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Domestic

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The drafters of the agreement rejected the governmental decree on 13 April and called upon the members of the resigning government to publish the original agreement without modification.[31] Reactions within Haiti to the announcement of the TPC were mixed, with some Haitians questioning its constitutional legitimacy.[32] Shortly after the council's announcement, Jacky Lumarque, rector of Université Quisqueya, described the council as not being a "Haitian-led" solution, calling it a "snake of seven heads".[33] He called for a judge of the Court of Cassation to be empowered as unitary acting president, instead.[33]

Jimmy "Barbecue" Chérizier said his forces would attack any person who accepted appointment to the council. Chérizier also invoked a traditional Haitian battle cry to describe the fate that would befall councilors: "Cut off their heads and burn down their houses".[32] Chérizier earlier objected to the lack of input his federation, the Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies, had had in governance transition talks. He also entered into an alliance with another federation of gangs, G-Pèp, to organize plans for armed resistance to any entry of foreign peacekeepers into the country as part of a future transitional arrangement.[34][35]

Camille LeBlanc, former Haitian minister of justice, said he welcomed the creation of the council but doubted the ability of such a body to resolve Haiti's political impasse.[36]

Foreign

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UN Secretary-General António Guterres, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, and President of Kenya William Ruto each welcomed the creation of the TPC on behalf of their respective nations and organizations.

In an official statement, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said he "welcomed" the creation of the Transitional Presidential Council and urged "all Haitian stakeholders to continue making progress in putting in place transitional governance arrangements".[37] The Caribbean Community welcomed the creation of the TPC saying it was a "Haitian owned formula for governance that will take the troubled country through elections to the restoration of the lapsed state institutions and constitutional government".[38]

The United States Department of State stated the U.S. "welcomes" the creation of the TPC and "commends Haitian leaders for making tough compromises to move toward democratic governance via free and fair elections".[39] President of Kenya William Ruto welcomed the creation of the TPC, writing on social media that "Kenya expresses confidence that the new political leadership will lay a strong foundation for resolution of the crisis in Haiti, restoration of security, afford the Haitian people a political transition and usher in sustainable peace and development".[40]

In a press release issued 14 April, Louise Mushikiwabo of l'Organisation internationale de la Francophonie "commended" the creation of the Transitional Presidential Council.[41] On 15 April, the European Union, through the European External Action Service, said it was "crucial that the TPC is formally appointed without further delay by the outgoing government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry".[42]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Le conseil présidentiel de transition en Haïti officiellement créé". Radio France Internationale (in French). 13 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024. Le Conseil présidentiel de transition siègera au palais présidentiel, selon le décret.
  2. ^ Robenson Geffrard (4 October 2024). "Leslie Voltaire en passe de devenir président du CPT en remplacement d'Edgard Leblanc Fils". Le Nouvelliste (in French).
  3. ^ a b c d Moniteur 2024.
  4. ^ a b Montoya, Angeline (7 March 2024). "En Haïti, « les gangs ont transformé leur contrôle territorial en domination sociale, économique et militaire »". Le Monde (in French). Archived from the original on 9 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Haiti's transitional government must take office amid gang warfare". The Economist. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  6. ^ Ives, Kim (17 January 2024). "Responding to Guy Philippe's Call, Civil Disobedience Protests Erupt Across Haiti". Haiti Liberté. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  7. ^ Berg, Matt; Toosi, Nahal; Ward, Alexander (5 March 2024). "'Catastrophic' fears in Washington as Haiti crisis worsens". Politico. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  8. ^ Buschschlüter, Vanessa (7 March 2024). "Haiti gang leader threatens 'civil war' if PM does not resign". BBC News. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  9. ^ Coto, Dánica; Sanon, Evens (12 March 2024). "Ariel Henry: Haiti's PM says he will resign". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Moniteur 2024a.
  11. ^ "Haiti finalises deal to form transitional council in bid to end gang chaos". France 24. 8 April 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  12. ^ "Haiti finalises deal to form transitional council in bid to end gang chaos". France 24. 9 April 2024. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  13. ^ Robenson, Geffrard (12 April 2024). "Haïti dispose officiellement d'un Conseil présidentiel pour diriger la transition jusqu'au 7 février 2026". Le Nouvelliste (in French).
  14. ^ a b Robenson, Geffrard (25 April 2024). "Les membres du Conseil présidentiel de transition ont prêté serment, tôt jeudi 25 avril 2024, au Palais national". Le Nouvelliste (in French).
  15. ^ Geffrard, Robenson (30 April 2024). "Fritz Bélizaire, premier ministre désigné, déjà contesté". Le Nouvelliste.
  16. ^ Coto, Dánica (10 May 2024). "Transitional council in Haiti embraces new changes following turmoil as gang violence grips country". Associated Press News.
  17. ^ Coto, Dánica (17 May 2024). "Haiti is seeking a new prime minister. Dozens of candidates jostle for the key job". ABC News. Associated Press.
  18. ^ Charles, Jacqueline (28 May 2024). "UN expert, former prime minister is named to lead Haiti's transitional government". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  19. ^ Blaise, Juhakenson (12 June 2024). "Haiti's Prime Minister Garry Conille officially names his ministry cabinet". The Haitian Times. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  20. ^ Charles, Jacqueline (20 June 2024). "Once ousted as Haiti's police chief for failing to control gangs, he's now back in top job". Miami Herald. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  21. ^ "Haiti's divided transition council picks new president". Reuters. 7 October 2024.
  22. ^ a b c d Senate, Jean Daniel (12 April 2024). "Haïti Le conseil présidentiel de transition est officiellement créé". La Presse (in French). Agence France Press. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Le décret MODIFIÉ de création du Conseil présidentiel publié". Haiti Libre (in French). 13 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  24. ^ Geffrard, Robenson (12 April 2024). "No one has become a member of the Presidential Transition Council yet, here are the conditions to meet to become one". Le Nouvelliste. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  25. ^ Geffrard, Robenson (24 March 2024). "Smith Augustin remplace Dominique Dupuy au sein du Conseil présidentiel de transition". Le Nouvelliste (in French). Archived from the original on 25 March 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  26. ^ Charles, Jacqueline (8 April 2024). "Haitian leaders finalize political accord for proposed transition government". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  27. ^ Octave, Fritznel D.; Blaise, Juhakenson (6 April 2024). "Haiti's Transitional Presidential Council faces major hurdles in installation process". The Haitian Times. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  28. ^ Ives, Kim (20 March 2024). "Is Former De Facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry Now a De Facto Prisoner?"". Haïti Liberté. Archived from the original on 26 March 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  29. ^ Coto, Dánica (30 April 2024). "Haiti Transitional Council Names New Prime Minister in Hopes of Quelling Stifling Violence". AP News. Port-au-Prince. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  30. ^ "En Haïti, trois membres du conseil de transition accusés de corruption". France 24 (in French). 3 October 2024.
  31. ^ Robenson, Geffrard (14 April 2024). "Haiti: Stakeholders Reject Government Henry's Decree Establishing the Presidential Transition Council". Le Nouvelliste.
  32. ^ a b Adams, David (12 April 2024). "Haiti in Crisis Sets Up Ruling Council, Clearing Way for an Acting Leader". New York Times. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  33. ^ a b Johnston, Jake (12 April 2024). "Presidential Council Awaits Installation After Weeks of Delays". Center for Economic and Policy Research. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  34. ^ Coto, Dánica; Sanon, Evens (12 March 2024). "Haiti is preparing itself for new leadership. Gangs want a seat at the table". AP News. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  35. ^ "'Overthrow the system': Haiti gang leader Cherizier seeks revolution". Al Jazeera. 16 March 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  36. ^ "Haiti decrees long-awaited transition council, but questions remain". Reuters. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  37. ^ "Guterres welcomes creation of transitional council in Haiti to choose new leaders". United Nations. 13 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  38. ^ "CARICOM statement on the establishment of the Haitian presidential council". Caribbean Community. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  39. ^ Miller, Matthew (12 April 2024). "The United States Welcomes Establishment of Haiti's Transitional Presidential Council". U.S. Department of State (Press release). Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  40. ^ Ruto, William [@WilliamsRuto] (13 April 2024). "I welcome the formal Proclamation by Decree establishing the Presidential Transition Council (PTC) of the Republic of Haiti" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 13 April 2024 – via Twitter.
  41. ^ Celestin, Jean Junior (15 April 2024). "Francophonie Secretary General Applauds Formation of Presidential Transition Council". Le Nouvelliste. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  42. ^ "Statement by the Spokesperson on the establishment of a Transitional Presidential Council". eeas.europa.eu. European External Action Service. Retrieved 16 April 2024.

Bibliography

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