The naming of Fritz Alphonse Jean as provisional prime
minister marks another milestone toward the formation of
an interim government and the restarting of Haiti’s
elections. Opposition in parliament to Jean’s
nomination, however, may make confirmation of his
government difficult. With only 65 days left in his
term, provisional President Jocelerme Privert is
confronting a number of daunting challenges: delays in
the creation of a new electoral council (CEP), disputes
over an eventual verification commission, donor
insistence on the deadlines of the Feb. 6 political
accord, and rising insecurity.
After a series of consultations with political
and civil society groupings, President Privert appointed
Jean as provisional prime minister. Jean, an economist
and university professor, was
sworn in on Fri.,
Feb. 26. In his inauguration speech, Jean declared that
his “principal mission” as prime minister was “earn the
trust of all the political actors involved in this acute
political crisis.” He also emphasized the need to clean
up the Haitian government’s finances. The Group of Eight
(G8) candidates
deplored the fact
that Fritz Jean’s first speech as Prime Minister’s
speech skirted the question of an independent electoral
verification commission, and avoided discussing how he
planned to deal with the electoral crisis more
generally. The ceremony took place in the National
Palace with members of the political opposition to
Martelly and foreign diplomats, including MINUSTAH chief
Sandra Honoré, present.
The most notable absence at Jean’s inauguration
was outgoing Prime Minister Evans Paul, who refused to
take part. Joined by ministers of his government, Paul
held a press conference earlier in the day before the
ceremony where he
denounced the
selection of Jean. Speaking from his residence, Paul
argued that Jean had not been chosen in consultation
with the presidents of the two Chambers of parliament,
as required by the Constitution and the political
accord. Parliamentarians from Martelly’s PHTK, Youri
Latortue’s AAA and OPL made similar
procedural criticisms
of Jean’s appointment.
Privert had consulted with both Cholzer Chancy of
the Chamber of Deputies and Ronald Larèche of the Senate
prior to naming Jean. But Paul and other political
figures close to Martelly argued that Privert’s
consultations were not valid, since Larèche was only
Vice-President of the Senate, and no election has been
held to choose a new Senate president. Privert, who
stepped down as Senate president to assume the reins of
power,
replied that
Constitution clearly states that the vice-president
takes over the responsibilities of the Senate’s
president in case of a vacancy.
In Parliament, opponents of Jean’s installation
as prime minister argued further that he was too close
to Lavalas, making the transition government politically
unbalanced. Although nominated by the human rights
sector and widely regarded as a politically-neutral
technocrat, Jean’s term as governor of Banque Nationale
d’Haiti (Haiti’s central bank) from 1998 to 2001 raised
concerns among pro-Martelly factions. In the Senate,
Youri Latortue
declared that it was
“abnormal for the President, the Prime Minister, and the
President of the Senate to all be from the same
Lavalassian tendency.” On Mar. 3, a minority bloc of
Senators led by Latortue
prevented the
selection of a replacement, demanding that the next
Senate president be chosen from among their ranks. (None
of the three are in fact members of
Fanmi Lavalas;
Larèche is a member of former President René Préval’s
Vérité party,
while Privert is a member of
Inite, another
party close to Préval, though he served as a minister in
Aristide’s second administration, 2001-2004.)
In the Chamber of Deputies, PHTK’s Abel
Descollines
suggested that
legislators might reject the documentation submitted to
confirm Jean’s eligibility for the position, using the
pretext that they were photocopies rather than
originals. The rancor surrounding Fritz Jean’s
nomination may be due in part to the fact that one of
the candidates passed over in favor of Jean, OPL’s Edgar
Leblanc Fils, had been backed by parliamentarians now
opposing Jean. Leblanc Fils narrowly lost the election
for provisional president to Privert in a marathon
session of the National Assembly. The next steps
following Jean’s inauguration are the confirmation of
his eligibility, the selection of ministers to form a
government cabinet and the presentation of his
government’s policy, all of which require the approval
of Parliament.
Thousands of protestors took to the streets of
Port-au-Prince on Mon., Feb. 29 to mark the 12th
anniversary of the 2004 coup d’État against President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Addressing the crowd outside
Parliament, Fanmi Lavalas presidential candidate Maryse
Narcisse
called Feb. 29, 2004
a “shameful day” in the country’s history.
Narcisse insisted that a verification of both the
Aug. 9 and Oct. 25 elections was necessary.
Pitit Dessalines’
Moïse Jean-Charles, for his part,
warned Privert that
if a verification commission was not set up soon, his
party would begin mobilizing throughout the country.
Former coup leader Guy Philippe also marked the
anniversary in a radio address,
lauding the heroism
of those who had fought the “dictatorship.” Philippe
urged his brothers-in-arms to stay mobilized, as there
was “a macabre plan, a Machiavellian plan to lead the
country directly into a civil war.” Philippe, a
candidate for Senate with the Consortium party in the
Grand’Anse, warned Privert that elections had to be held
on Apr. 24. “The provisional president cannot hold on to
power. I, Guy Philippe, and my soldiers are ready to
make the great patriotic sacrifice.” Philippe called for
violent resistance to the transition government on Jan.
24, and paramilitaries paraded threateningly in the
capital and other cities on Feb. 5. Philippe is wanted
by the DEA for involvement in drug trafficking.
In the midst of the electoral crisis, insecurity
has become a growing concern. Four police officers have
been
killed in the last
two months alone. On Mar. 2, officer Gérald François was
shot dead near Portail-Léogane in Carrefour by gunmen on
the back of a motorcycle. Another police officer was
wounded in the attack. For the last few days, shots have
been also heard in the neighborhoods of La Saline, Simon
Pelé and Martissant, where gangs are believed to be
fight for control of the markets where ti machann
conduct their business. After François’ assassination,
Martelly supporters circulated a graphic on social media
accusing Lavalas of secretly orchestrating the violence
and Privert of planning to “chimèrize” and politicize
the Haitian National Police (PNH).
Privert
announced on Mar. 7
that Jean-Max Bellerive, former Prime Minister under
President René Préval, will serve as his chief of staff.
Raymond Jeanty, Préval’s right hand, was named the
administrator of the National Palace, while Anthony
Barbier, a former spokesman for the Group of 184 which
opposed Aristide in 2002-2004, was made secretary
general. Dany Valet, a journalist and campaign advisor
for Moïse Jean-Charles, was put in charge of the task of
national dialogue. Other councillors named by Privert
include Jean-Marie Chérestal, former Prime Minister
under President Jean-Bertrand Aristide,
Joanas Gué, Harry Adam, Kely C. Bastien, and Jean
David Génesté.
The strong representation of
Vérité party
members among Privert’s team was
noted
with concern by both
Pitit Dessalines’ Moïse Jean-Charles and a high-level member of
Fanmi Lavalas.
Fanmi Lavalas spokespeople have tried to dispel rumors that Lavalas
had returned to power, emphasizing that their demands
for a verification of the vote remained unmet.
The UN’s Independent Expert on the situation of
human rights in Haiti, Gustavo Gallón,
called on President
Privert to find “an effective and just solution” to the
highly controversial 2015 election process. Gallón
commended Privert’s willingness to find a solution and
his commitment to respecting the terms of the political
accord. Gallón also met with five presidential
candidates who remain divided over the question of
whether a verification would look only at fraud during
the first round of the October 2015 presidential
elections or would involve a more in-depth examination
of the entire electoral process.
The Concertation pour Haïti, a Canadian coalition
of development NGOs working in Haiti,
denounced foreign
intervention in Haiti’s electoral process. The
Concertation called on the Canadian government to
abstain from any interference in the electoral process
and to allow the people of Haiti to determine the
country’s course.
Progress was made towards the formation of a new
Provisional Electoral Council (CEP). Marie-Frantz
Joachim of SOFA has been
designated as CEP
representative for women's sector, replacing Yolette
Mengual who resigned on Jan. 29. The Episcopal
Conference of the Catholic Church named Carlos Hercule
as their representative, while the Protestant and the
Reformed sector chose Dr. Frinel Joseph. The Conference
of University Rectors named Lucien Jean Bernard, a
lecturer for The Episcopal University of Haiti, as their
candidate for the CEP. The human rights sector
chose Kettly Julien
of the NGO IMED as their representative. They will join
the media sector’s representative Léopold Berlanger on
the CEP.
Two other sectors have put forward names while the union
sector are still debating its choice. The private sector
selected Jacques
Bernard and Marie-Herolle Michel, while the Vodou
and peasants’ sector suggested Kenson Polynice
and Jean Richard Joseph. The trade unions have not yet
come to an agreement, some favoring outgoing CEP
counselor, Lourdes Edith Joseph, and others backing
Josette Jean Dorcely and Lubin Jean Dieudonné. Privert
promised on Fri.,
Mar. 4 that the final list of CEP members would be made
public soon.
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