Haiti's Transitional Council Replaces Prime Minister

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Facts

  • A transitional council set up to re-establish democratic order in Haiti has fired interim Prime Minister Garry Conille, according to an official decree seen by multiple news agencies on Sunday.[1]
  • The decree, which was planned for publication on Monday, replaces Conille with Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, a businessman and former Chamber of Commerce president who was previously considered for the posting.[2]
  • Conille was appointed the top job in May — a month after the transitional council was formed in an effort to restore stability to Haiti. The country has been gripped by gang violence and as much as 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, is said to be controlled by armed groups.[1]
  • Reports have suggested that Conille's relationship with the nine-person council, whose members represent parties that will seek power the next time Haiti has an election, has been marked with difficulty and infighting.[3]
  • Haiti currently has no president or parliament, and according to the country's constitution, only the parliament can oust the prime minister. In a letter seen by Reuters, Conille said the decree to fire him was "taken outside any legal and constitutional framework," and he urged the council not to go through with the filing.[3][4]
  • Last month, anti-corruption investigators alleged that three of the council's members — Smith Augustin, Emmanuel Vertilaire, and Louis Gérald Gilles — demanded $750K in bribes from a government bank director so he could keep the job. All three were among the eight signatories of the decree.[2]

Sources: [1]Al Jazeera, [2]Associated Press, [3]The Miami Herald and [4]BBC News.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Associated Press. This move to dismiss Conille is illegal and this overextension of the transitional council's powers was only carried out because several members of the council are currently facing corruption charges.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Al Jazeera. In a country gripped by violence, where half the population faces acute starvation as a result, this move is only going to extend the constitutional crisis and will only increase the suffering of all Haitians.