In Haiti, all politics seems grotesque in the face of the facts on the ground.
Dr Louis Gérald Gilles cautiously speaks out against the (rider) choice of Fritz Bélizaire, imposed by Moïse Jean-Charles and Claude Joseph and approved by the “indissoluble majority bloc” of which Councilor Gilles is a part.
Haiti’s transitional council surprisingly elected obscure former sports minister Fritz Bélizaire as prime minister on Tuesday, splitting the council 4-3.
Bélizaire’s appointment came as a surprise, with four of the seven voting members of the transition council suddenly revealing their “consensus” without further ado. The new prime minister has not held any political office for more than a decade, and Leslie Voltaire, one of the council members, told the Guardian: “I don’t know him.”
Some believe that Bélizaire’s appointment was orchestrated by former senator Jean-Charles Moïse. Moïse had to be persuaded to join the council while flirting with an alternative transition plan proposed by former coup leader and convicted drug trafficker Guy Philippe. Appointing an unknown like Belizaire could leave Moses in a position to dictate terms.
Meanwhile, the gangs threaten to wreak havoc if they are excluded from the government, which has already let a week pass of its 100-day grace period to prove its usefulness to the country in turmoil.
And the gangs? The whole policy seems grotesque in the face of the facts on the ground. The council was sworn in secretly last month as powerful coalitions of armed terrorist gangs control most of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Louis Gérald Gilles against the choice (in a cavalier manner) of Fritz Bélizaire, imposed by Moise Jean-Charles:
”I would like to reaffirm my commitment to the agreement of April 3, 2024 defining the process for designating the PM. I therefore encourage all interested parties to… pic.twitter.com/skwC5aVUeN
— RezoNodwest (@rezo_nodwes) May 1, 2024
