Deandrea Hamilton and Rashaed Esson
Editorial Staff
The efforts to restore Haiti have birthed concerns as corrupt actions within the Presidential Council have been unveiled in shocking revelations surrounding the appointment of the nation’s new Prime Minister and the council’s president, voted in on Tuesday April 30, 2024, against the stipulations within the political accord. This has caused tensions among the members of the Council which could lead to disintegration.
The week of April 29, 2024 started with anticipation for the naming of the Prime Minister on April 30, and by the end of the day, the region and world was given great news that Haiti now has a new Prime Minister, Fritz Bélizaire. Also, the Council’s president was named Edgard LeBlanc Fils.
But, on May 1st, news of conflict within the council made headlines and it turns out Bélizaire and LeBlanc Fils were voted in on the decision of only four of seven council members with voting rights.
The remaining members who were supposed to be a part of the decision making by law, under the accords, were left out of the loop. In fact, the quartet has taken on an identity, reportedly calling itself “The Indissoluble Majority” and the Miami Herald informs that a document was released, leaked, which contains the names of the four council members who are Smith Augustin, Louis Gérald Gilles, Emmanuel Vertilaire and LeBlanc.
The vote was taken overnight. Not all of the Council members were present. How their election came to be accepted and then broadcast to the world is worthy of investigation and given the investment of so many countries, to right Haiti’s rickety ship, demands a decent investigation.
Haiti’s political process is fraught with corruption. The development is embarrassing, a significant setback but no surprise.
Regarding the unlawful voting process, an unidentified individual with direct intel, told media that the Council’s political agreement was violated due to how the voting was carried out. It was expected to be a collective decision, as the Accords negotiated and ratified unequivocally stipulate; the design is and has always been to come to a middle ground. No time in recent history have the stakes for Haiti been so high and the need for transparency and honest integrity to be unflinching. Yet, at least four of these members have reportedly disgraced the process and will likely be replaced as the vote is re-executed.
A Wednesday statement to the media has confirmed as much.
It is expected that now, the positions for Prime Minister and the President (of the Council) will be reopened and new members appointed to the council.
