Haiti delays constitutional referendum to September
3 years, 6 months ago

Haiti delays constitutional referendum to September

CNN  

Port-au-Prince CNN — Haiti will hold a constitutional referendum on Sept. 26, the same date as presidential and legislative elections, authorities said, after postponing the date twice in part because of the pandemic, an official calendar showed Monday. Violence has spiked in the capital Port-au-Prince in recent weeks as rival groups battle with one another or the police for control of the streets, displacing thousands and worsening the country’s humanitarian crisis. Postponing the referendum was done to give the health ministry time to deal with the COVID-19 crisis, Guylande Mesadieu, the president of the electoral board said in an interview. It is not clear what the constitutional referendum will entail but Moise has previously said the powers of the president needed to be strengthened to break a “decades-long cycle of political crises”.

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History of this topic

How can Haiti break its cycle of violence and instability?
9 months, 2 weeks ago

How can Haiti break its cycle of violence and instability?

Al Jazeera  

Is Haiti on the verge of collapse? Haiti is facing a major and violent upheaval after armed gangs took control of 80 percent of the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, locking Prime Minister Ariel Henry out of the country and triggering his resignation. In an effort to contain the recent surge of violence, the Haitian government announced extending a state of emergency …

Haiti declares a curfew as it tries to restore order after weekend jailbreaks
10 months, 1 week ago

Haiti declares a curfew as it tries to restore order after weekend jailbreaks

NPR  

Haiti declares a curfew as it tries to restore order after weekend jailbreaks Enlarge this image toggle caption Odelyn Joseph/AP Odelyn Joseph/AP PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Authorities have ordered a nighttime curfew trying to regain control of Haiti's streets after an explosion of violence during the weekend, including gunmen from gangs overrunning the country's two biggest prisons and freeing their inmates. …

Caribbean leaders say Haitian prime minister agrees to hold long-awaited elections by mid-2025
10 months, 1 week ago

Caribbean leaders say Haitian prime minister agrees to hold long-awaited elections by mid-2025

Associated Press  

GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Caribbean leaders said late Wednesday that embattled Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has agreed to hold general elections by mid-2025 as the international community pushes to raise money for a foreign armed force to fight gang violenc there. Members of the Caricom regional trade bloc issued a statement at the end of a four-day summit in Guyana …

Haiti appoints council amid push to hold general elections
1 year, 11 months ago

Haiti appoints council amid push to hold general elections

Associated Press  

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haiti’s prime minister on Monday formally appointed a transition council charged with ensuring that long-awaited general elections are held in a country with no democratically elected institutions. While many doubt the creation of the council will help the government hold elections this year as envisioned, Prime Minister Ariel Henry said it was a significant step toward that …

Haiti’s political crisis worsens as Senate terms expire
2 years ago

Haiti’s political crisis worsens as Senate terms expire

Al Jazeera  

The deepening political crisis in Haiti has come into renewed focus as the country’s only remaining senators saw their terms expire overnight, an alarming development in a country beset by surging gang violence and instability. The country’s de facto leader, interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry, whom Moise chose for the post just days before he was killed, has faced a …

‘We are not here forever,’ says UN as Haiti searches for path to election
2 years, 3 months ago

‘We are not here forever,’ says UN as Haiti searches for path to election

CNN  

CNN — Mass protests. Georges Harry Rouzier/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images ‘Let’s get through the next elections’ Helen Meagher La Lime, the head of BINUH and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Haiti, told CNN that her focus is to help Henry’s government reach a consensus with opposition and civil society leaders in order to start organizing elections. And then the …

Haiti: One year since president’s killing, where do things stand?
2 years, 6 months ago

Haiti: One year since president’s killing, where do things stand?

Al Jazeera  

One year ago, a band of armed mercenaries stormed the home of Jovenel Moise, killing the Haitian president and plunging the already fraught Caribbean nation into deeper political uncertainty. The president’s brazen killing also ushered in a fresh wave of gang violence in Haiti, which the United Nations human rights chief recently said has hit “unimaginable and intolerable” levels. Henry, …

Haiti faces more instability as Moise’s term officially ends
2 years, 11 months ago

Haiti faces more instability as Moise’s term officially ends

Al Jazeera  

End of slain Haitian president’s term is marked by political deadlock and concerns over more potential violence. Haitians are bracing for more violence and instability, as assassinated President Jovenel Moise’s term in office has officially come to an end but the crisis-stricken Caribbean nation appears no closer to a political transition. “Our country cannot continue to live that way.” Haiti …

‘Elections must be held as soon as possible,’ Haiti PM says
3 years, 3 months ago

‘Elections must be held as soon as possible,’ Haiti PM says

Al Jazeera  

In interview with The Associated Press, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry says he also plans a referendum. Haiti’s prime minister has said he plans to organise a referendum to modify the country’s constitution by February and hold presidential and legislative elections early next year, as the Caribbean nation continues to grapple with deep political instability. Haiti’s top prosecutor earlier this …

Haiti elections postponed indefinitely amid political crisis
3 years, 3 months ago

Haiti elections postponed indefinitely amid political crisis

Al Jazeera  

Haiti’s elections and a constitutional referendum, scheduled for the coming months, have been postponed indefinitely after the dismissal of the electoral administration, plunging the country into further uncertainty. Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was appointed by late President Jovenel Moise two days before being assassinated, published a decree on Monday announcing the members of the Provisional Electoral Council had been …

Haiti: Many questions, few answers one month after Moise killing
3 years, 5 months ago

Haiti: Many questions, few answers one month after Moise killing

Al Jazeera  

Haiti has asked the UN to launch an international investigation into President Jovenel Moise’s assassination on July 7. But one month after a crew of armed mercenaries stormed Moise’s home in the capital, Port-au-Prince, myriad questions remain unanswered about what took place – and about what path forward Haiti should chart. “I hope that the UN is going to respond …

Haiti PM vows to work to hold elections ‘as quickly as possible’
3 years, 5 months ago

Haiti PM vows to work to hold elections ‘as quickly as possible’

Al Jazeera  

Haiti’s newly sworn-in interim prime minister has said his government plans to work to allow the Caribbean nation to hold elections “as quickly as possible” after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise plunged the country into deeper political uncertainty. Ariel Henry, who was confirmed as prime minister in a ceremony in Port-au-Prince last week, said on Wednesday that “the mission …

Amid political crisis, Haiti appoints new prime minister
3 years, 5 months ago

Amid political crisis, Haiti appoints new prime minister

Al Jazeera  

Haiti has appointed a new prime minister, less than two weeks after President Jovenel Moise’s assassination threw the deeply divided Caribbean nation into greater political uncertainty. The country’s acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph said earlier this week that he would step down “for the good of the nation” after a key group of international diplomats on Saturday came out in …

Haiti advocates reject US push for elections after Moise killing
3 years, 5 months ago

Haiti advocates reject US push for elections after Moise killing

Al Jazeera  

Civil society activists say holding vote amid deep political instability is not the way out of Haiti’s current crisis. The United States’s top diplomat has urged Haitian political leaders to work towards holding elections later this year, a demand top civil society activists in Haiti and other experts have pushed back against as “a mistake” amid deep political instability. “But …

Haiti in upheaval: President Moïse assassinated at home
3 years, 6 months ago

Haiti in upheaval: President Moïse assassinated at home

Associated Press  

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A squad of gunmen assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and wounded his wife in an overnight raid on their home Wednesday, with police killing four suspects and arresting two others hours later amid growing chaos in a country already enduring gang violence and protests of his increasingly authoritarian rule. The parties added that they hope the National …

Haitian Americans say they are soul-searching after the assassination of Haiti’s president
3 years, 6 months ago

Haitian Americans say they are soul-searching after the assassination of Haiti’s president

CNN  

CNN — The assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise has many Haitian-American community leaders fearing what may come next. The attackers stormed Moise’s home at around 1 a.m. Wednesday and fatally wounded the head of state, according to acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph, who described the assassination as a “heinous, inhumane and barbaric act.” Haiti’s first lady, Martine Moise, was …

Opinion: Moïse’s assassination is a tragic reminder of Haiti’s unraveling democracy
3 years, 6 months ago

Opinion: Moïse’s assassination is a tragic reminder of Haiti’s unraveling democracy

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Ryan C. Berg is senior fellow in the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies. The country was already on edge following a protracted political crisis centered around the constitutionality of Moïse’s presidential term and a controversial proposal to overhaul the country’s constitution. In Haiti’s polarized political climate, the political opposition has claimed that Moïse’s …

Haiti President Jovenel Moïse assassinated at home, official says
3 years, 6 months ago

Haiti President Jovenel Moïse assassinated at home, official says

Live Mint  

Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in an attack on his residence, the country’s interim prime minister said on Wednesday, plunging the unstable Caribbean nation into fresh political turmoil. A group of assailants entered the residence toward 1 a.m. local time on Wednesday, shooting the president and wounding the first lady, who has been hospitalized, Prime Minister Claude Joseph told …

July 7, 2021 Haiti’s president assassinated
3 years, 6 months ago

July 7, 2021 Haiti’s president assassinated

CNN  

To mark the ten-year anniversary of the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti, CNN’s Caitlin Hu last year interviewed Moise about the future of his presidency amid corruption allegations. Here’s a look back at what he had to say in 2020: On the image of Haiti in the world today: “I will tell you the truth: The image that we have …

July 7, 2021 Haiti’s president assassinated
3 years, 6 months ago

July 7, 2021 Haiti’s president assassinated

CNN  

To mark the ten-year anniversary of the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti, CNN’s Caitlin Hu last year interviewed Moise about the future of his presidency amid corruption allegations. Here’s a look back at what he had to say in 2020: On the image of Haiti in the world today: “I will tell you the truth: The image that we have …

Haiti’s turbulent political history – a timeline
3 years, 6 months ago

Haiti’s turbulent political history – a timeline

Al Jazeera  

Haiti became Latin America and the Caribbean’s first independent state of the colonial era and the first Black-led republic when it threw off French rule in the 19th century. Here are some key events in Haiti’s political history: 1492 – Spain colonises the island of Hispaniola after the arrival of Christopher Columbus. 1957 – Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier takes power …

Haiti postpones June 27 constitutional referendum
3 years, 7 months ago

Haiti postpones June 27 constitutional referendum

Al Jazeera  

No new date was announced for the vote in the latest twist in the Caribbean nation’s political crisis as President Jovenel Moise continues to rule by decree. Haiti has postponed a constitutional referendum scheduled for June 27 due to the coronavirus pandemic without giving a new date for the vote, further deepening the country’s political crisis. President Jovenel Moise has …

What is happening in Haiti, where political crisis persists?
3 years, 10 months ago

What is happening in Haiti, where political crisis persists?

Al Jazeera  

Opposition and civil society leaders say President Jovenel Moise’s term is over. Opposition leaders are disputing the mandate of President Jovenel Moise, whose term most legal experts and civil society groups have said ended on February 7. Several Haitian civil society groups and intellectuals also urged Moise to leave office this month, while the Episcopal Conference has said, “No one …

Haiti’s crisis of democracy
3 years, 10 months ago

Haiti’s crisis of democracy

CNN  

CNN — Turmoil in Haiti could soon test democratic leaders’ support for embattled president Jovenel Moise, a former banana exporter whose claim to another year in office has sparked protests in the capital, arrests and the abrupt dismissal of several Supreme Court judges. VALERIE BAERISWYL/AFP/Getty Images A president accused of dismantling democracy Haiti’s democratic institutions have been crippled under Moise, …

Haiti president alleges attempted coup amid dispute over term
3 years, 11 months ago

Haiti president alleges attempted coup amid dispute over term

Al Jazeera  

Haitian government authorities have said they foiled an attempt to overthrow President Jovenel Moise, who is facing mounting anger from opposition leaders and the Haitian public over when his mandate ends. Justice Minister Rockefeller Vincent said an “attempted coup d’etat” took place on Sunday, while authorities said 23 people had been arrested, including a Supreme Court judge and senior police …

US urges polls in Haiti but says president can stay until 2022
3 years, 11 months ago

US urges polls in Haiti but says president can stay until 2022

Al Jazeera  

Opposition and activists want unpopular Haitian President Jovenel Moise to leave office by Sunday as political turmoil deepens. The United States has accepted unpopular Haitian President Jovenel Moise’s claim to hold power for another year but urged restraint and fresh elections. “We’ve urged the government of Haiti to organise free and fair legislative elections so that Parliament may resume its …

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