Overview:
Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé formally assumed sole management of Haiti’s energy Saturday, after the Transitional Presidential Council’s mandate expired. Backed by worldwide companions, notably the US and the CARICOM, he pledged to revive safety, promote dialogue and put together elections amid deep political divisions.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé formally grew to become Haiti’s de facto head of state with full and unchecked energy Friday, Feb. 7, following the expiration of the Transitional Presidential Council’s (CPT) mandate.
A handover ceremony organized by the Common Secretariat of the Presidency was held on the Villa d’Accueil in Port-au-Prince. Attendees included outgoing CPT coordinator Laurent Saint-Cyr, senior officers of the Haitian Nationwide Police and Armed Forces, members of presidency and international diplomats, together with Canadian Ambassador François Giroux and U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Henry Wooster.
Fils-Aimé grew to become Haiti’s Prime Minister on Nov. 11, 2024, succeeding Garry Conille, who was dismissed by the CPT after simply 5 on the put up. Conille, who had initially contested the choice to revoke him, finally stepped down.
As he did in his earlier inaugural handle, Fils-Aimé–as soon as once more—vowed to sort out insecurity and manage uncontested elections. He reaffirmed his dedication to restoring safety, fostering nationwide dialogue and organizing elections.
“Conscious of the stakes, the federal government I lead is attending to work, and the prerogatives granted to the manager will likely be scrupulously exercised in respect of the establishments and within the greater curiosity of the nation,” he mentioned.
Regardless of his need to maintain the place, Garry Conille lastly steps down, making method for Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as the brand new Prime Minister
The prime minister additionally expressed gratitude to CPT members, whom he mentioned, “ accomplished their mandate with a spirit of republican obligation.”
Saint-Cyr, accompanied by Emmanuel Vertillaire, Régine Abraham, Frinel Joseph and Smith Augustin, formally transferred government authority to PM Fils-Aimé to make sure continuity of the state. Leslie Voltaire briefly appeared earlier than leaving the ceremony, whereas Edgard Leblanc Fils, Fritz Alphonse Jean and Louis Gérald Gilles had been absent.
In his farewell remarks, Saint-Cyr acknowledged the council’s latest efforts to deal with insecurity whereas conceding that many challenges stay unresolved. He criticized political actors who, he mentioned, undermine democratic ideas by in search of energy outdoors electoral processes.
Political impasse leaves Fils-Aimé with sole government authority
With no consensus amongst Haiti’s political class on a post-CPT framework, Fils-Aimé now governs alone — a state of affairs harking back to former Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s tenure following the July 7, 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
A number of political actors have endorsed this final result. The political celebration Lajenès Kisa Nou Vle, led by former Nationwide Training Fund (FNE) director Sterline Civil, argued that consolidating energy underneath the prime minister was obligatory to revive stability and manage elections swiftly.
Jocelerme Privert, a former provisional president who oversaw the final elections in Haiti between 2015 and 2016, echoed that view. He famous that the absence of a functioning Nationwide Meeting makes it unattainable to nominate a provisional president.
“In these situations, the Council of Ministers should train government authority till elections are held,” Privert mentioned in late January.
Worldwide companions have additionally endorsed Fils-Aimé’s management. The Neighborhood Caribbean (CARICOM), which helped dealer the April 2024 settlement that created the CPT, mentioned that within the absence of a political exit settlement, Haiti would transition to a single-headed government on Feb. 7.
The USA aligned with that place, reiterating its assist for Fils-Aimé’s management days earlier than the CPT’s mandate ended.
Regulation enforcement authorities had been positioned on excessive alert and ramped up safety round Villa d’Accueil earlier than dusk, forward of Saturday morning, when the CPT members had been set to depart.
Worldwide backing amid sanctions and public stress
Fils-Aimé’s consolidation of authority follows failed efforts by a number of CPT members to take away him earlier than Feb. 7. The 5 members behind that initiative — Leslie Voltaire, Edgard Leblanc Fils, Louis Gérald Gilles, Fritz Alphonse Jean and Smith Augustin — had been subsequently punished with U.S. visa restrictions, which additionally prolonged to their rapid members of the family.
Public frustration with the CPT had intensified in latest weeks, with political events and civil society teams denouncing the council as ineffective, expensive, and incapable of addressing worsening insecurity. A number of organizations boycotted CPT-led talks on the post-Feb. 7 transition.
Established underneath an April 3, 2024 political accord following Ariel Henry’s resignation, the CPT was tasked with restoring safety, organizing elections, reviving the financial system, and overseeing constitutional reforms — targets that stay largely unmet as Haiti enters its newest section of political uncertainty.