Haitian Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe resigned on Wednesday as the Caribbean country goes through a serious political and security crisis.
Jouthe announced his resignation in a message broadcast at dawn via Twitter, President Jovenel Moise accepted the resignation in the same way and announced that the current chancellor, Claude Joseph, will take over as prime minister.
In his message, Jouthe did not report the reason for his resignation, which he assumed in March 2020, said it was “an honor” to serve his country and thanked members of his government and “technical and financial partners.” for your collaboration.
Moments later, President Moses accepted the resignation of the Jouthe government, assuring that his departure would allow progress on insecurity and the resolution of the political crisis.
“The resignation of the government, which we have accepted, will allow the blatant problem of insecurity to be addressed and discussions to continue. to reach the necessary consensus for the political and institutional stability of our country. Minister Claude Joseph is named prime minister, “Moses wrote on Twitter.
Jouthe was appointed prime minister on March 2, 2020, but his appointment was not ratified by parliament, as ordered by the constitution, as the Legislative Assembly has been closed since January 2020 due to the failure to hold elections scheduled for 2019.
His resignation comes at a time of severe security crisis, after 12 religious were abducted last weekend, including two French nationals, amid a wave of kidnappings by armed gangs.
On Monday, Jouthe held a press conference in which he described the kidnapping as “an earthquake” that causes the “collapse” of the foundations of Haitian society.
The country is also going through a serious political crisis, as the opposition does not recognize the legitimacy of President Moses and refuses to participate in drafting the new constitution that the president is trying to promote.
On Tuesday, the UN office in Haiti warned that the consultation process on the draft new constitution is not “sufficiently inclusive, participatory or transparent.”
In parallel, Moses is preparing for the legislative and presidential elections, which are convened for next September 19, in which the successor of the current head of state will be elected.