Haiti Names New PM as Country Plots Return to Order

Date:

Share post:

U.N. development specialist Garry Conille was named Haiti’s new prime minister on Tuesday evening, nearly a month after a coalition within a fractured transitional council sought to choose someone else for the position.

The long-awaited move comes as gangs continue to terrorize the capital of Port-au-Prince, opening fire in once peaceful neighborhoods and using heavy machinery to demolish several police stations and prisons.Haiti Names New PM as Country Plots Return to Order

Council member Louis Gérald Gilles told The Associated Press that six out of seven council members with voting power chose Conille earlier Tuesday. He said one member, Laurent St. Cyr, was not in Haiti and therefore did not vote.

Conille has been UNICEF’s regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean since January 2023 and previously served as Haiti’s prime minister from October 2011 to May 2012 under then-President Michel Martelly. He replaces Michel Patrick Boisvert, who was named interim prime minister after Ariel Henry resigned via letter in late April.

Also, read; Nigeria Reverts To Old National Anthem After Tinubu Signs Bill into LawHaiti Names New PM as Country Plots Return to Order

Henry was on an official trip to Kenya when a coalition of powerful gangs launched coordinated attacks on February 29, seizing control of police stations, shooting at Haiti’s main international airport, and storming the country’s two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates. Henry was locked out of the country by the attacks, with the airport in Port-au-Prince remaining shuttered for nearly three months.

Gang violence is still surging in parts of Haiti’s capital and beyond as Conille takes over the helm of the troubled Caribbean country, which awaits the U.N.-backed deployment of a police force from Kenya and other countries.

Conille studied medicine and public health and helped develop healthcare in impoverished communities in Haiti, where he helped coordinate reconstruction efforts after the devastating 2010 earthquake. He worked for several years at the United Nations before Martelly designated him as prime minister in 2011.Haiti

Conille resigned less than a year later following clashes with the president and his Cabinet over an investigation into government officials who have dual nationality, which is not allowed by Haiti’s constitution.

In addition to picking a new prime minister, the council is also responsible for selecting a new Cabinet and holding general elections by the end of next year.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

- Advertisement -

Related articles

Seal’s Son, Henry Samuel, Makes Runway Debut at Paris Fashion Week

Henry Samuel, the 19-year-old son of supermodel Heidi Klum and singer Seal, has officially stepped into the world...

Scotland Removes “Slave” Terminology from Curriculum in Push to Decolonize Education

In a landmark move, Scotland’s exam authority, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), has officially replaced terms such as...

Trump Pledges to Release Martin Luther King, JFK and RFK Assassination Files

In a move stirring both curiosity and controversy, President-elect Donald Trump announced on Sunday his intention to release...

Biden Posthumously Pardons Marcus Garvey and Grants Clemency to Criminal Justice Advocates

President Joe Biden, in a significant and symbolic act on Sunday, posthumously pardoned Marcus Garvey, a Black nationalist...