Haiti aims for national unity government to prepare for peaceful elections

Last Updated on Thursday, 15 June 2023, 11:07 by Denis Chabrol

Haiti’s interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry has agreed to form a power-sharing government in the hope of improving the ever worsening security crisis and prepare for elections expected later this year, following a meeting with Haitian stakeholders this week in Jamaica.

“We agreed to have a more inclusive government. We also agreed to form a national unity government,” Henry said in a French statement that was translated to English.

Henry and Haitian stakeholders met in Kingston, Jamaica under the auspices of the CARICOM Eminent Persons Group (EPG) from June 11 to 13 in an effort to find a solution to the protracted political and security crisis in Haiti which has no elected representatives and last held a presidential election in 2016.

CARICOM indicated that the impending power sharing arrangement would be for a limited period. “Stakeholders widely expressed that there was a need to build confidence and trust in the interim administration in order to effectively address the security crisis and for preparations for elections to commence. In this regard, there was widespread stakeholder support for modification of the structures of government in the interim period.”

The CARICOM Headquarters said the Haitian government intends to begin working with the partners of the December 21 Accord to increase the number of members of the High Transition Council (HCT) in order to include representatives of a wider group of stakeholders. The three-member HCT is currently made up of Calixte Fleuridor, from the Protestant Federation of Haiti, will represent civil society, Mirlande Manigat will represent political parties and Laurent Saint Cyr will represent the private sector.

The Haitian Prime Minister said the EPG would help to oversee the implementation of the decisions.

The EPG’s members are former St Lucian Prime Minister Kenny Anthony, former Jamaican Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony and The Bahamas’ former Prime Minister Perry Christie.

Though the United Nations Secretary General had a few months ago called for armed action to take back the Caribbean nation from heavily armed gangs, restore peace and prepare for elections, a number of Haitian stakeholders preferred to go the route of intensified mediation.