© Odelyn Joseph
Prime Minister of Haiti, Ariel Henry, whose power is questioned by the Senate of the Caribbean country. Photo: AP / Archive
The Senate of Haiti has written this Tuesday to the Superior Court of Accounts to inform that parliamentarians have noted” the end ” of Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s mandate, despite the latter’s refusal to leave power.
“Ariel Henry’s new status now limits his prerogatives, it underlines the letter addressed to the body, as stated by the Alterpresse agency.
Senate President Joseph Lambert said Tuesday that Henry is the “main” obstacle to national dialogue and he has announced for the end of this week the holding of a large meeting with the different politicians of the country.
In this regard, despite previous statements, he has officially invited Ariel Henry to participate. “A summit between the different political protagonists, with the aim of recovering the democratic order in the country”, he nuanced.
According to the letter sent by the parliamentarians, Henry must have a “new status with limited powers” and the High Court of Auditors has “the obligation of extreme vigilance for a thorough control of state resources””
Fritz Alphonse Jean was elected last week as president of an eventual transitional government, accompanied by former MP Steven Benoit as prime minister, in a vote held by political organizations and civil society, signatories of the Montana Agreement, signed last year.
The signatories of the civil society agreement expressed their intention to install the new government on 7 February, despite the refusal of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, for which there is no legal way to establish a legitimate president without holding elections.
The position of the Montana Agreement further strains the deep political crisis the country is experiencing, while Henry recently received the support of the international community, especially the governments of Canada, the United States and France.
Haiti is immersed in a climate of social and political instability, increased following the assassination of the then president of the country, Jovenel Moise, on July 7, 2021.
