The Eminent Persons Group in Haiti, efforts for general election

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

#Haiti, September 9, 2023 – Members of CARICOM’s Eminent Persons Group (EPG) Kenny Anthony, Bruce Golding and Perry Christie, former prime ministers of St Lucia, Jamaica and The Bahamas respectively, landed in Haiti Tuesday Morning September 5th. Their aim according to reports is to secure a political agreement for the way forward on a general election for the embattled Republic.

Their visit comes as a virtual meeting was scheduled as announced by Roosevelt Skerrit, CARICOM chairman and Prime Minister of Dominica.

Regarding the political agreement, reports coming out of Port-au-Prince, according to The Gleaner, say it includes the balance of powers between the executive actors, the inclusion and the responsibility of the High Transitional Council, the Control Body of the Government action, a government of national unity and the operations of the Council of Ministers, among others.

Considering this, Ariel Henry, Haiti’s Prime Minister, signed a document entitled, “National consensus for an inclusive transition and transparent elections,” and it was inked with representatives of political parties, civil society organizations and members of the private sector. The signatories of this agreement agree that “the 14-month transition period includes the new general elections to be held in 2023, the entry into office of a newly elected government on February 7, 2024 and the first year of the mandate of this first post-reform government.”

However, with just three months left in the year, meeting that goal looks bleak.

The EPG will, according to reports, be in Haiti until September 10th.