Who is Ariel Henry, the new president of Haiti | He had been chosen by Jovenel Moïse as his successor two days before the assassination

The neurosurgeon Ariel Henry took over the presidency of Haiti on Tuesday. The assassinated ex-president, Jovenel Moïse, had appointed Henry as his successor two days before his death, but without the support of local parties.

After taking the oath, Henry called for national unity and a joint effort to “stop this race to the bottom.”

The designated agent assured that only dialogue and consultation will make it possible to define the contours of the policies to be followed during this period, and adopt essential decisions for the transformation of society, in particular the living conditions of the most vulnerable.

After the assassination of Moses, Henry had received the backing of the ruling Tet Kale party, but that gesture quickly faded..

“Mr. Ariel Henry has shown selfishness, limitless egocentrism. We must realize that there is no way out without a concerted proposal, without something that has the minimum of consensus. national “, evaluated the doctor and political scientist, Jean Hénold Buteau. .

“Anyone entering institutional chaos right now is not only disrespectful, but also totally irresponsible. He won’t be able to solve anything.”Buteau added, quoted by the Sputnik news agency.

Who is Ariel Henry

Henri is 71 years old, trained as a doctor in universities in France and Haiti and has experience in public administration: He was part of the Government of Michel Martelly, Moise’s predecessor, for 14 months marked by political instability.

Between January and September 2015 Herny was Minister of the Interior then he was in charge of social affairs and labor portfolio until March 2016.

Ten years earlier, in 2004, after the forced resignation of former president Jean Bertrand Aristide, Henry formed with six other personalities, the so-called Council of the Sages, body responsible for proposing a new Prime Minister for the provisional presidency of Haiti.

He was a member of the Social Democratic Party, then the Haitian Revolutionary Nationalist Progressive Party, founded by his mentor Serge Gilles. The doctor also joined the Fusion structure of Haitian social democrats and was until 2014 a member of the Patriotic Union, created by former President René Préval (1996-2001 and 2006-2011).

As a health professional, he chaired the board of directors of the Ecumenical Welfare Society from 1992 to 1999, and was deputy director in charge of programs for the humanitarian agency Adra-Haiti from 1992 to 1996. .

He was also part of the cabinet of the Minister of Public Health from June 2006 to September 2008, and held the position of Director of Human Resources from September 2008 to October 2011.

Henry was one of the health authorities responding to the cholera epidemic that erupted in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake that killed 300,000. The epidemic, attributed to the UN peacekeeping mission, claimed 10,000 more lives, according to official figures.

In 2020, he joined the multisectoral commission for the management of Covid-19, which to date has 19,553 patients, 510 deaths and more than 3,000 hospitalized since March of last year.

At the same time, he heads the neurosurgery department at Bernard Mevs hospital, one of the most recognized in the country.