The acute political crisis that has afflicted Haiti for several weeks continues to worsen. The opposition parties appointed a new president transition to replace President Jovenel Moise, whom they accuse of having illegally extended his one-year term. But the army supported the questioned head of state and warned that he would defend “the democratic order.”
“The Armed Forces of Haiti reaffirm their determination to respect the Constitution and the legitimate authorities, democratically elected by the population, ”says a statement signed by the Commander-in-Chief, Lieutenant General Jodel Lessage.
The Army has a contingent of about 450 soldiers, since the Armed Forces were dissolved in 1995, after their participation in a coup, to be re-founded in 2017 by the decision of President Moise.
The military position adds a new element of tension to the dispute after President Moise on Monday denounced coup and assassination attempts and reaffirmed that he will not leave power. Joseph Mécène Jean-Louis, a 72-year-old judge and member of the Court of Cassation, read a short speech in which he said that agreed to serve as “interim president of the transition and being able to serve the country ”.
A protester burns tires during a protest against Haitian President Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince. Photo Xinhua
Everything comes after the political opposition, the Judiciary and many civil society organizations considered that last Monday was the last day in power for Moise. The questioned president affirms that his mandate at the head of the Caribbean country runs through February 7, 2022. The disagreement over the date arose because Moise was elected in a vote that was overturned for fraud and was then re-elected a year later.
In a speech broadcast on social networks, the embattled ruler asked his supporters to unite and maintained that “I have 364 days left in power. There will be no transition ”.
However, the opposition remains firm. “We are waiting for Jovenel Moise leave the national palace to be able to proceed with the installation of Joseph Mécène Jean-Louis ”, declared the opponent André Michel.
The Haitian authorities announced that they had foiled a coup plan against Moise, who claimed that he had escaped an assassination attempt. The police arrested 23 people. Haiti has not had a functioning Parliament since January 2020.
President Moise, isolated, has governed since then by decree, feeding the growing mistrust of the population, undermined by poverty and which suffers daily from gang violence.
Several political parties and opposition organizations condemned the “illegal detentions”. André Michel, spokesman for the Popular Democratic Sector, described the arrests as “A true systematic repression”, while calling on the population to continue demonstrating in the streets to demand the resignation of President Moise and the immediate end of his mandate.
Source: AFP, EFE, AP and Clarín
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source https://pledgetimes.com/the-opposition-appoints-a-provisional-government-and-the-political-crisis-in-haiti-worsens/
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