A glimmer of hope in resolving the current political crisis is emerging as the minority group proposes a solution to avoid “state capture” within the Presidential Transitional Council (PTC). The group wants decisions to be taken within the council by a majority of 5 out of 7 members instead of 4, initially provided for in the agreement of April 3, 2024. It was councilor Lesly Voltaire who announced this. during a special broadcast at the Gazette Haiti studio on May 2, 2024.
According to the latest developments concerning the crisis within the Presidential Transitional Council, the minority would have accepted the designation of Edgard Leblanc as president of the CPT. However, she proposes that all major decisions which will involve the nation, namely the appointment of the prime minister, the formation of the government, the formation of the CEP, the appointment of general directors, etc., be taken by 5/7 advisors in view to avoid state capture, says Lesly Voltaire during a special broadcast this Thursday at the Studio de Gazette Haïti.
According to the agreement of April 3, 2024 that the minority wishes to amend, an absolute majority, i.e. 4/7, is required to make decisions in the event that there is no consensus.
This proposal aims to avoid any attempt to “capture the State by a single group or political faction, thus guaranteeing more inclusive and transparent governance”, argues the representative of Fanmi Lavalas to the Council. Also, according to Lesly Voltaire, this proposal aims to promote a return to serenity within the Presidential Transitional Council.
According to the former Minister of National Education and Haitians Living Abroad (MHAVE), positions have already been distributed by the Majority Bloc. He says he is certain of this information and that some political figures have already celebrated, believing that they will get a position in the new government at all costs.
“As part of this capture of the state, they will monopolize the country’s finances, customs, the DGI [ direction générale des impôts, NDLR], etc. », he denounces in advance.
Lesly Voltaire, representative of Fanmi Lavalas, also declared during this special broadcast at the Gazette Haiti News Studio that the majority would have no objection to conceding the idea of a 5/7 majority. He specified that this proposal was discussed during a council meeting held this afternoon in which all members took part.
This initiative demonstrates a desire for compromise and a search for concerted solutions to break the political impasse plaguing the country, he continued. It remains to be seen whether this proposal will be accepted and implemented.
A CPT in the middle of a cyclone
The oldest member of the Presidential Council, Lesly Voltaire, recognizes during this newspaper interview that this body is full of a “tropical cyclone”. “There is already a lot of rain but not enough wind yet,” he believes. The Transitional Presidential Council would be swimming in troubled waters.
According to him, certain actors try to display the same behaviors as those of Ariel Henry. “We had proposed that the council function by consensus and in complete conviviality,” recalls Voltaire, showing concern about the possibility of the implosion of the council.
Lesly Voltaire denounces the will of the Majority Bloc which, according to him, wants to transform the Presidential Transitional Council into a pure and simple parliament by establishing a majority bloc. With this attitude, he fears that the 3 members of the minority have become mere observers. “From 2 observer members we went to 5. This is a breach of the spirit of the agreement,” believes the representative of Fanmi Lavalas.
On the airwaves of Radio Caraibes, Jacques Ted Saint Dic of the Montana agreement proposed a rotating presidency as a solution to the crisis. According to him, we would have as presidents Edgard Leblanc Fils, Lesly Voltaire and Fritz Jean during the 21 months of the transition at the rate of 7 months of presidency per person. A proposal rejected by Claude Joseph, one of the leaders of the majority established within the Council. For him, Montana’s exit against what happened at the Villa d’Aceuil on April 30 reflects “racism, discrimination and testifies to a hegemonic desire”.
According to the latest information, a meeting was held between members of Caricom and members of the Presidential Transitional Council. Caricom wanted to find out about the situation. However, councilors who were part of the minority group would have been conspicuous by their absence.
In the meantime, the advisors are taking the route of the media to resolve their disputes. A spectacle in bad taste which risks increasingly tarnishing the image of the Presidential Transitional Council, the creation of which is already contested by a section of the population.
By: Daniel Zéphyr
