New prime minister appointed by Haiti’s transitional council

The newly established governing body of Haiti has selected a former sports professional to serve as the prime minister.They are trying to make a new government in a place with a lot of violence.

Fritz Belizaire was unexpectedly chosen to be the new interim Prime Minister instead of Michel Patrick Boisvert. Four out of seven voting members supported Belizaire, but some panel members didn’t know much about him.

The council wants to pick a group of people to help stop gangs from causing violence in the capital city and other areas. There was a lot of shooting in different parts of the city during the council’s meeting.

Over 90,000 people left the capital in one month, and more than 360,000 people have become homeless in recent years as gunmen destroy communities in rival areas.

On Tuesday, the council picked Edgard Leblanc Fils, who ran for president before, as the panel’s president.

Fils said that Belizaire is a great choice for prime minister during a short speech to about 20 people. “What matters is that we are determined to work together, put aside our differences, resolve conflicts, and agree on things. ”

He said the group of leaders met on Monday to discuss Haiti’s security crisis and figure out the best way to fix it. “We are acknowledging that the people are going through a hard time,” he said.

Belizaire’s announcement was surprising. The people in the room started talking quietly when the officials said that four council members chose Belizaire to be the prime minister.

Leslie Voltaire, a member of the voting group, said to The Associated Press, “I don’t know him,” when asked if he supported Belizaire.

Belizaire was in charge of sports in Haiti from 2006 to 2011 when Rene Preval was president.

“He is not well-known,” said Robert Fatton, who is an expert on politics in Haiti at the University of Virginia. “He doesn’t appear to have his own group of supporters. ” Perhaps this is why he is the chosen prime minister, because different parties can agree on him being prime minister.

Council member Louis Gerald Gilles, who was on Belizaire’s side, told The Associated Press that the council wanted to choose a prime minister fast. He said that the people in Haiti can’t wait any longer. “Security is important for keeping society peaceful.”

Many regular people in Haiti were still without electricity for hours.

“They picked a new leader. ” Jean-Paul Eliason asked while walking in the streets of Port-au-Prince, promoting his shoe-shining business by ringing a bell.

When Eliason heard about Belizaire, who is 70 years old, he said that the name seemed familiar to him.

“It’s good news because it means the country can start doing the right things,” he said. “Keeping things safe is the most important thing. ” “Many people are running away because gangs are setting fire to their houses. ”

Sony Duvert, standing by his motorcycle near a barrier to stop gangs, said he didn’t know the new prime minister. He hopes the new prime minister will make Haiti safer.

“Every day, we are like soldiers with posting here,” he said. “I want Haiti to have a big change. ”

After a short announcement made almost two hours late, the council went back into a private room to discuss who they want in their cabinet. Voltaire said he did not think the council would announce cabinet choices on Tuesday.

Most of the people who were on Belizaire’s side were Fils, the council’s new president, Smith Augustin, Gilles and Emmanuel Vertilaire.

Fatton said they were an “unlikely” team and wanted to see if they could stay together.

Fils is a part of a political group called January 30, with parties like PHTK. It includes former president Michel Martelly and killed President Jovenel Moise. Augustin belongs to the EDE/RED political party, which was started by former Prime Minister Claude Joseph.

Gilles is in charge of the Dec 21 agreement, which is linked to the former prime minister Ariel Henry. Henry quit a few weeks after the gang attacks started. At the same time, Vertilaire is connected to the Pitit Desalin party, which is led by influential politician Jean-Charles Moise, who was happy about the announcement on Tuesday.

“Belizaire is a very important person in the country,” Moise said. “He knows the state very well and how to run it. ”

The transitional council will lead the country until a new president is chosen before it ends in February 2026.

Haitians disagree about whether a temporary government can help to calm their troubled country, where the capital has been under attack by gangs since Feb 29.

Gang members set fire to police stations, shot at the main airport which has been closed since March, and broke into Haiti’s two largest prisons, letting more than 4,000 prisoners go free. The largest seaport in the country is mostly stopped by gang violence.

But one thing is for sure: Haitians want to feel safe.

“Haitians are feeling very restless at the moment. ” They want to see what happens,” Fatton said.

The council is likely to agree to send Kenyan police to help fight gangs, but we aren’t sure when it will happen.

Henry, who used to be the leader of the country, was visiting an East African country when a group of gangs started attacking. He is still not able to go back to Haiti. He quit his job last week.