A transitional council created to restore democratic order in Haiti has fired its interim prime minister Garry Conille and is set to replace him with businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, in a further sign of escalating turmoil in the Caribbean nation.
The decision, outlined in a decree by the council that was seen by the Associated Press, is expected to be published on Monday in the official gazette.
Haiti hasn’t held democratic elections in years, in large part due to soaring levels of gang violence. The shake-up is the latest blow to political stability in the country, which has seen armed gangs gain control of most of capital Port-au-Prince and expand to nearby regions, fuelling hunger and forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes.
Promised international support still lags and nearby nations have deported Haitian migrants back to the country.
Didier Fils-Aimé is the son of well-known Haitian activist, Alix Fils-Aime, who was jailed under the regime of dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier.
Conille, a longtime civil servant who has worked with the United Nations, has been prime minister for about six months. He was appointed to the role in May by Haiti’s transition council to return to the role as the Caribbean nation works to restore stability.
Photograph: Ralph Tedy Erol/Reuters
The transitional council was established in April, tasked with choosing Haiti’s next prime minister and Cabinet with the hope that it would help quell turmoil, but it has been plagued with politics and infighting, and has long been at odds with Conille.
Groups such as the Organization of American States tried and failed last week to mediate disagreements in an attempt to save the fragile transition, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.
The process suffered another blow in October when three members of the council faced corruption accusations, from anti-corruption investigators alleging they demanded $750,000 in bribes from a government bank director to secure his job.
The same members accused of bribery were among those to sign the decree. Only one member, Edgard Leblanc Fils, did not sign the order.
A spokesperson for the prime minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
With Reuters and Associated Press