Two men claim they are entitled to the post of prime minister in Haiti

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Two men are claiming in Haiti that the post of prime minister in Haiti belongs to them: Claude Joseph and Ariel Henry, one day after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise has opened a power vacuum.

Claude Joseph is the chancellor, has held the post of interim prime minister since last April, and has effectively assumed power since the assassination became known.

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However, Joseph’s legitimacy has begun to be questioned by Ariel Henry in a series of interviews granted to local media between Wednesday night and Thursday.

Ariel Henry, former minister of the Interior and Labor portfolios during the government of Michel Martelly (2011-2016), was appointed prime minister last Monday, in the last decree signed by Moise before his death. However, he was not officially invested in office.

Henry has stated that Joseph “is not prime minister”, but is the chancellor of his incoming cabinet. He intends to make a rapprochement with the opposition to calm political tensions until the holding of the elections, scheduled for September 26.

However, Henry assured that his intention “is not to add fuel to the fire”, since it is necessary “to prevent the country from becoming inflamed”, but he asked Joseph that both talk to reach an agreement.

Since Wednesday, Joseph has led two government appearances before the press and has also been in charge of speaking with representatives of the international community, among them the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.

The Haitian Constitution establishes that in the event of the death of the President, the Prime Minister will replace him until elections are called.

But in the event of death after the fourth year of the mandate, as has been the case, the Parliament should appoint a president to complete the remaining time of the mandate.

This possibility cannot occur because the Parliament has been closed since January 2020 due to the postponement of the 2019 legislative elections.

This circumstance has also prevented the legislative body from ratifying the prime ministers’ appointment in the last year and a half, as fixed by the Constitution.