If there is a consensus among most of Haiti’s political factions and, belatedly, among much of the international community, it is that rushing toward elections in 2022 is unrealistic and simply dangerous for both voters and candidates. To hold a credible vote, Haiti’s leaders will have to work against the shaky track record of the past three decades.
A New York Times report on Sunday uncovered new details about the July 7 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
The challenges Haiti faces are immense and cannot be easily addressed without active international policy coordination, leadership by US diplomacy, and close and sustained interaction with key Haitian actors.
Haiti has seen three major crises within the past four months. Amid these crises, everyday life in Haiti has become increasingly dangerous.
On Saturday, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake—more powerful than the 7.0 magnitude quake that savaged the country in 2010, killing nearly 200,000 and causing billions of dollars worth of damage—struck Haiti, killing over 2000 people, injuring at least 12,000 more, and leaving hundreds missing.
The Caribbean has long enjoyed a reputation for being one of the most democratic regions in the world. Despite the Caribbean’s seeming confidence in the ballot, however, countries in the region nevertheless face considerable challenges in keeping their democracies alive. Elections alone do not make a democracy; rather, there are many other factors that must be taken into consideration in order to ensure good governance.
On Tuesday, Ariel Henry—a trained neurosurgeon and former Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and Minister of Interior and Territorial Communities, who had been named prime minister-designate by Moïse only two days before his death—was sworn in as Prime Minister and acting President of Haiti in a ceremony in Port-au-Prince, replacing former interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph, who had ruled the country as de facto head of state since Moïse’s killing. Joseph, who will evidently retain a ministerial role as Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced over the weekend that he would step down, ceding power to Henry “for the good of the nation.”
The immediate hurdle to overcome is already playing itself out in the days following Moïse’s assassination—who is the legitimate successor?
Occurring only days after Moïse had designated Ariel Henry as the country’s new prime minister, the assassination is expected to plunge the impoverished Caribbean nation of 11.4 million into further political and social instability.
The international community’s role in Haiti is adrift. None of this is going to end well.
