Haiti creates new ruling council, clearing way for elections

​​​​​​​By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - A governing council that will seek to restore order and appoint a new prime minister was created Friday in Haiti after uncontrolled gang violence has gripped that Caribbean nation for weeks.

A month after Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he would step down amid a wave of attacks in the capital of Port-au-Prince, a decree was published in the official gazette that announced a new Presidential Council, which will pave the way for elections by early 2026.

“The Presidential Transition Council exercises specific presidential powers during the transition period until the investiture of the elected President, which must take place no later than February 7, 2026,” according to the decree.

Henry "will tender his resignation from his government following the appointment of a new prime minister," it said.

Henry announced his resignation March 11 after days of indiscriminate attacks by gangs that control most of the capital.

But questions remain whether the new council will be able to bring political stability to a country plunged into political instability and crime.

Since Feb. 29, armed men have burned police stations, attacked government offices, the airport and raided the country’s two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates.

Dozens of people have been killed and more than 15,000 have been forced to flee their homes to protect themselves from the surging violence. Water is diminishing and stores are running out of goods.

Henry was in Kenya signing a deal to push for the UN-backed deployment of a police force in the country when gangs launched attacks to demand his resignation, which forced him to land in Puerto Rico.

The Caribbean nation has not held elections since 2016 and has been without a president since Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021.

The UN said Friday that 95,000 people had fled the capital since early March.