Installed on April 26, 2024 at the National Palace, the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) made the choice on Tuesday April 30 at the Prime Minister via a majority of 4 out of 7, of the former senator Edgard Leblanc Fils to be the president of this College. This state apparatus put in the saddle by the United States of America under the umbrella of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), has just made major changes within it.
Indeed, after stormy discussions orchestrated following the appointment of Edgard Leblanc Fils, as president, and Prime Minister Fritz Bélizaire, the representative of Fanmi Lavalas, Accord Montana and the private business sector opposed the “Bloc Indissoluble majority” composed of Pitit Desalin, Ede/Ren, Accord December 21 and the Collective of January 30, to the point of forcing them to change the situation.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), as arbiter or intermediary, was obliged to intervene to calm tensions and bring some order to the ongoing disorder. Finally, the members of the Presidential Transitional Council agreed to adopt another process different from that signed on April 3, 2024 to appoint either a president or a Prime Minister of the Council.
Another resolution was finally reached between fellow councilors. This involves a rotating presidency and a decision-making majority of 5/7 of the councilors replacing the absolute majority of 4 out of 7 votes.
In this resolution of the Presidential Council we could read that “The concern to work as a priority in the general interest and for the well-being of the Haitian population leads the Advisors to demonstrate in all circumstances humility, a spirit of openness, self-sacrifice, a sense of responsibility and also pragmatism in decision-making. Thus, taking into account the crisis triggered within the Council, on April 30, 2024, and to avoid any dysfunction of the Council, it was decided by all the members of the Presidential Transitional Council signatories of this resolution” that from now on, the choices of the Prime Minister, members of the government, members of the CEP, Directors General, leaders of independent institutions, Ambassadors and Consuls General, Boards of Directors of autonomous organizations, local authorities, commanders public forces, will be subject to the new Memorandum of Understanding.
At this stage, the four candidates for the presidency of the Council will each have their share of the presidential transition cake. They will take power in five-month increments, respectively, until general elections are held. Thus, the first tranche is granted to Edgard Leblanc Fils (from May to October 2024), it will be followed by Smith Augustin (from October 2024 to March 2025), then Leslie Voltaire (from March 2025 to August 2025) and finally Louis Gerald Gilles (August 2025 to February 2026). And since Tuesday, May 7, which marks the start of the rotating president, Edgar Leblanc officially functions as the first president of the Transitional Presidential Council.
As the nomination of Prime Minister Fritz Bélizaire was not accepted, he is rightly considered as one of the candidates for this position. And precisely on the evening of Saturday May 11, 2024, the office of the Haitian Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) announced the official launch of the candidacy process for the appointment of the Prime Minister to lead the government. Candidates are invited to submit their files in a sealed envelope to the Villa d’Accueil, located in Musseau, Port-au-Prince from May 13 to 17, 2024. This means that the Council does not currently have a Prime Minister.
Furthermore, the absence of the president of the Montana group in the person of Fritz Alphonse Jean who withdrew and was replaced by the former ambassador of Haiti to the Dominican Republic Smith Augustin speaks volumes. Many people are wondering, what are the reasons for this spectacular withdrawal? Is this really to avoid the number of presidents increasing to 5 within the Council?
In any case, everything is not in order within this political enterprise, since the Collective of January 30 composed of the parties GREH, LAPEH, MOPOD, OPL, PITIT DESALIN, PHTK, UNIR in a press release has just highlighted in a letter addressed to the coordinator of the CPT dated Monday May 13, 2024, that he energetically opposes the resolution signed by the members of the CPT establishing a rotating presidency around four advisors and to increase the decision-making majority from 4 votes out of 7 to 5/7.
According to the signatories of the Collective in this case Clarens Renois, Himmler Rébu, Anacacis Jean Hector, Jean André Victor, Liné Balthazar “The legal status of State Organ conferred on the Transitional Presidential Council by the decree of April 12, 2024 Special Monitor No. 14, cannot be called into question by a resolution, an act which in essence has no binding nature »
Since this step was taken, the gap has widened between the advisors, fights continue to break out within the political class which continues to tear each other apart for power without calling into question the director of this operation which seems to be moving forward in a poorly orchestrated and poorly executed manner.
The United States, for its part, is not too concerned by internal intrigues, by this clan war within the Council. It is enough for them that the nine thieves placed in the presidency to lead the Haitian state respect the road map which was addressed to them, that is to say the regulations of the American boss to his political servants so that the country remains as it is with the house in flames and the national fabric torn apart to push us further into the abyss.
