By Harold Isaac
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Haiti’s transitional council on Tuesday called on former prime minister Garry Conille, who briefly led the country more than a decade ago, to return to the role as the Caribbean nation works to restore stability and regain control of violent situations. gangs.
The transitional council voted 6-1 to install Conille as interim prime minister, a member told Reuters.
Conille’s extensive development background, working largely with the United Nations, is seen as key to bolstering international support as Haiti prepares to launch a UN-backed security mission led by Kenya, although his deployment has faced obstacles. .
The transitional council, which holds some presidential powers, and its head, Edgard Leblanc, acting as de facto president, are now tasked with holding elections before February 7, 2026, as set out in Haiti’s constitution.
“Following discussions in the transition council following hearings with the candidates for prime minister, Dr. Garry Conille has been chosen by consensus to lead the government during this transition period,” Leblanc said on X.
Conille’s appointment highlights progress in Haiti’s political process and follows the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry in March after he left Haiti to seek support for the Kenyan security mission and was unable to re-enter the country. .
President Jovenel Moise, who appointed Henry, was assassinated in 2021. Haiti has not had a president since.
“My most sincere congratulations,” said business leader Alix Didier Fils-Aime, who also entered the ring for the role, in X. “I am still a patriot who believes in this country. Long live Haiti!”
Conille was prime minister for just seven months, resigning in February 2012, after losing the support of his cabinet and coming into conflict with then-president Michel Martelly.
Conille and Martelly disagreed over reconstruction contracts after the deadly 2010 earthquake and a parliamentary investigation into politicians with dual citizenship, which is illegal in Haiti.
Conille most recently held the position of regional director of the UN children’s agency, UNICEF.
He will now be tasked with combating rampant insecurity as gangs expand their reach. More than 360,000 people are already internally displaced in Haiti, according to UN estimates, mainly from the capital Port-au-Prince, due to gang conflict.
(Reporting by Harold Isaac; writing by Kylie Madry; editing by Valentine Hilaire and Anthony Esposito)
