Haiti gets new prime minister, country still under siege by gangs | Wilnesh News

United Nations development expert Gary Cornier was named Haiti’s new prime minister on Tuesday night, nearly a month after a coalition within a fractured transitional council tried to choose someone else for the post.

The long-awaited move comes as criminal gangs continue their campaign of terror in the capital, Port-au-Prince, shooting up once-peaceful neighborhoods and using heavy machinery to demolish several police stations and prisons.

Council member Louis Gerald Giles told The Associated Press that six of the seven voting council members chose Conier earlier Tuesday. He said one member, Laurent St. Cyr, was not in Haiti and therefore did not vote.

Conil has served as UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean since January 2023, having previously served as Prime Minister of Haiti from October 2011 to May 2012 under then-President Michel Martelly. He succeeds Michel Patrick Boisvert, who was appointed interim prime minister after Ariel Henry resigned by letter at the end of April.

While Henry was on an official visit to Kenya, a powerful gang alliance launched a coordinated attack on February 29, seizing control of a police station, opening fire at Haiti’s main international airport and storming the country’s largest airport. Two prisons, more than 4,000 prisoners were released.

Henry was placed under lockdown abroad due to the attack, and the airport in the capital, Port-au-Prince, was closed for nearly three months.

Conil takes over the troubled Caribbean nation as gang violence continues to surge in Haiti’s capital and beyond, pending U.N. support for the deployment of police forces from Kenya and other countries.

Cornier studied medicine and public health and helped develop health care in poor communities in Haiti and helped coordinate reconstruction efforts after the devastating 2010 earthquake.

He worked at the United Nations for several years before Martelly appointed him prime minister in 2011. And investigations are not allowed.

Cornier faces a daunting task as he must quell rampant gang violence while helping lift Haiti out of deep poverty, with inflation reaching a record 29%, according to the latest figures. Criminal gangs that control at least 80% of Port-au-Prince have forced more than 360,000 people from their homes in recent years and continue to control major routes from the capital to Haiti’s northern and southern regions, often paralyzing the delivery of critical supplies.

Just weeks before Conil was selected as prime minister, Haiti’s former sports minister Fritz Belizard was surprisingly selected as prime minister in late April by a coalition of four members within the nine-member transitional committee. The news angered many people. Critics said the commission did not follow the proper procedures set out in the framework that established it, so a new process for selecting the prime minister began and dozens of candidates were submitted.

The protracted process has been criticized by many, including Montana Accord, a Haitian civil society group that has a representative on the committee.

In a statement on Tuesday, the group accused the commission of not taking any “responsive measures” since its creation because “people’s suffering is becoming more severe while criminal gangs are controlling more territory and committing more crimes.” .

It also accused the commission of being opaque in its selection of the new prime minister, saying it did not publicly share the criteria used or the names submitted.

Tet Kale party president Liné Balthazar called for transparency from the commission in an interview with local radio station Magik9 on Monday and said the choice of prime minister appeared to be impromptu.

In addition to electing a new prime minister, the nine-member commission, seven of which have voting rights, must also appoint a provisional electoral committee, a requirement before elections can be held. The committee’s term is non-renewable and will expire on February 7, 2026, at which time a new chair will be sworn in.

In addition to electing a new prime minister, the committee is also responsible for electing a new cabinet and holding general elections before the end of next year.

Committee members include Emmanuel Vertilaire of the Petit Desalin party, led by former senator and presidential candidate Jean-Charles Moïse lead. Smith Augustin for EDE/RED, the party led by former Prime Minister Claude Joseph; Fritz Alphonse Jean of Montana Accord; Leslie Vol Tai represents the Lavalas party led by former President Jean Bertrand Aristide; Louis Gérald Gilles represents the League of December 21, which supports former Prime Minister Ariel Henry; Edgard Leblanc Fils represents Jan. 30 Collective, which represents parties including that of former president Michel Martelly; Laurent Saint-Cyr, who represents the private sector.