Haiti’s future leadership is not yet clear, Haiti’s Ambassador to the United States, Bocchit Edmond, told CNN following the overnight assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
Haiti’s interim prime minister, Claude Joseph, took charge of the country immediately after the attack. He declared a “state of siege” in Haiti, saying he did not want the nation “to plunge into chaos”.
Edmond said he was unsure if there was a timeline or deadline for a formal succession announcement.
“I will leave this to the Haitian authorities and discuss with civil society actors to see how they can move forward with this. So I cannot, I cannot make an estimate on this subject, but I know that there was, there is an interim government. , or must control the situation and make sure everything is under control, “he said.
The Haitian President of the Supreme Court would normally be next, but this post is currently vacant since its incumbent, René Sylvestre, recently died of Covid-19. His funeral was to take place on Wednesday.
The president of the National Association of Haitian Judges, Judge Jean Wilner Morin, told CNN that for Joseph to officially replace the president, he would have to be approved by the Haitian parliament. But the parliament is currently partially empty and effectively disappeared.
To further complicate the line of succession, Moise appointed another prime minister, Dr Ariel Henry, just two days ago.
Edmond couldn’t say if Henry would stay in his role as the new Prime Minister. He also said it is not clear whether presidential and local elections scheduled for September will take place.
“I can’t tell you anything at the moment because I let the authority (in Haiti) settle, to make sure everything is in place. So it can be done, but for me I can’t tell you anything, ”said Edmond.
Edmond also said he was not aware of any specific threats to the president’s life prior to the assassination.
“But what I can refer you to, I can refer you to the last interview he gave in January to a Spanish newspaper, where he said a lot of people wanted him killed. For his reforms., ” he said.
More details: Edmond added that Haiti has officially asked for help from the United States and is awaiting a response.
“We have discussed this situation with the American authorities. And it is under study, I do not know exactly how they see it, but we have formally requested the assistance of the United States, one for the investigation. , and on the other hand for the security situation ”, he declared.
Edmond said the UN Security Council is expected to meet on Thursday on the situation in Haiti.
“I hope the UN will take bolder steps to strengthen our security. Because it is really a problem for us now,” he said.
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