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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) – A key group of international diplomats appeared on Saturday to snub the man who currently rules Haiti by urging another politician, the Prime Minister-designate, to form a government in the wake of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph ruled Haiti with police and military support despite Moïse announcing his replacement a day before the president was killed.
Joseph and his allies argue that the designated successor, Ariel Henry, was never sworn in, despite pledging to work with him and with Joseph Lambert, the leader of Haiti’s inactive Senate.
The statement was released by the Core Group, made up of ambassadors from Germany, Brazil, Canada, Spain, the United States, France, the European Union and representatives of the United Nations and the United Nations. Organization of American States.
The group called for the creation of a “consensual and inclusive government”.
“To this end, he strongly encourages the Prime Minister designate Ariel Henry to continue the mission entrusted to him to form such a government,” the group said.
U.S. officials could not immediately be reached for comment. A UN spokesperson declined to comment except to say that the UN is part of the group that issued the statement. Meanwhile, an OAS spokesperson only said the following: “At the moment, there is nothing more to say than what the statement says.”
Henry and Joseph’s spokespersons did not immediately return the messages for comment.
The group also demanded that “all political, economic and civil society actors in the country fully support the authorities in their efforts to restore security”.
Robert Fatton, a Haitian political expert at the University of Virginia, said the statement is very confusing, especially after the UN representative said Joseph was in charge.
“No more confusion in a very confusing and confusing situation,” he said.
Moïse was killed on July 7 by gunmen who raided his private home in an attack that authorities said involved Haitians, Haitian Americans and former Colombian soldiers.
The question of who should take over was complicated by the fact that Haiti’s parliament did not function because a lack of elections meant that the terms of most members had expired. And the President of the Supreme Court recently passed away from Covid-19.
A day after the assassination, US State Department spokesman Ned Price noted that Joseph was the incumbent and was acting prime minister before the assassination: “We continue to work with Claude Joseph as such, ”he declared.
On July 11, a delegation of representatives from the United States Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State and the National Security Council visited Haiti. They reviewed critical infrastructure, spoke with the Haitian National Police, and met Joseph, Henry and Lambert in a joint meeting.
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