Haiti’s new leaders wanted to take power in the presidential palace. Then reality hit

Members of Haiti’s new transition government, who are readying to officially assume office on Thursday, were hoping to take the oath of office on the grounds of the presidential palace, the symbol of power even if the once ornate building hasn’t been rebuilt after collapsing in the 2010 earthquake.

But on Monday as a delegation visited the premises in Port-au-Prince, a capital still under siege, they were hit with the harsh reality of trying to invite hundreds of guests, including foreign diplomats, into hostile territory and into temporary quarters whose last official occupant, President Jovenel Moïse, was killed nearly three years ago this July.

Broken toilets, water leaks, walls pocked with bullet holes and bullet casings on the floor were among the discoveries as the group inspected the setting and tried to stay clear of flying bullets from gangs that regularly fire at the building.

“Every now and again you heard gunshots,” said Leslie Voltaire, one of the members of the transitional presidential council, noting that some areas of the structure serving as the National Palace are still sealed off as part of the investigation into Moïse’s July 7, 2021, slaying.

Voltaire, an early supporter of taking office inside the palace, says he still believes the symbolism of being sworn into office in the official residence of the president would go a long way toward restoring hope in a country whose teeming capital has been paralyzed by armed gangs since Feb. 29.

But while he himself doesn’t have a problem with taking such a risk, he has a problem inviting others “who are not used to this kind of climate.”

“We saw, we don’t need to force this,” he said.

After reconsideration, Thursday’s swearing-in of Haiti’s new nine-member transitional presidential council will now take place at another government property, Villa Accueil in Bourdon, half way between the city of Port-au-Prince and the wealthy suburb of Pétion-Ville, which has also come under attack. The property houses the one-time office of the prime minister. It was also severely damaged in the devastating earthquake, but finally came into use last year after a near decade-long renovation was completed.

Clarence Renois, a former journalist who heads the political party Union Nationale pour l’Intégrité et la Réconciliation, UNIR, said while it would have been good to have the installation ceremony at the National Palace, he believes changing the venue is the right decision given the ongoing dangers that armed groups pose. UNIR is among the parties that are part of the political deal an international coalition of countries, led by Caribbean leaders, brokered last month in Jamaica to help Haitians forge a new political path amid the gangs’ takeover and calls for the ouster of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

“What is most important for us in UNIR is that the country needs leaders at its helm, people who are governing and administering the country every day,” Renois said.

In anticipation of a possible ceremony at the palace, Haiti National Police had beefed up security around the Champs de Mars, the public square across from the palace that has become a battlefield in gangs’ attempts to take the palace. But even those measures didn’t stop armed gangs on Monday. Following the delegation’s departure, police engaged in an hours-long exchange of gunfire.

After launching their attacks nearly two months ago, armed groups had called for the ouster of Henry, a neurosurgeon who was tapped by Moïse to run the country’s day-to-day operations. In the wake of the presidential assassination he failed to stop Haiti’s descent into anarchy. Even though Henry announced on March 11 that he will step down, the armed attacks have continued, and some gang leaders have vowed to disrupt the installation ceremony to block the new leaders from taking office.

The exact details of Thursday’s ceremony are still unfolding. But for now, the panel’s two non-voting observers, representing the interfaith community and civil society will give an address to the nation after the swearing in. Following the ceremony, the council is expected to finally vote for a president to lead the group.

Within 24 hours of Thursday’s ceremony, Voltaire says he hopes to have the new U.S. and Spanish ambassadors, who recently arrived in Haiti amid the ongoing chaos, officially present their credentials to the new government.

Then comes the difficult task of choosing a prime minister to replace Henry.

Though no official list of candidates exists, individuals have been quietly making calls and seeking support from both the council members and the various sectors involved in the transition. Prospective candidates include former government ministers, jurists and retired technocrats who worked at international financing institutions.

“We will analyze their [resumes] over three days and we will choose two or three to interview,” Voltaire said. “We can say that by May 1 we can have a prime minister and by May 5 we can have a government with a cabinet.”

Voltaire’s timetable could be a bit optimistic, given that it’s been more than a month since Caribbean leaders met in Jamaica to broker the transition plan, and it’s only now that the group is being installed.

The presidential panel itself has struggled to find common ground, which hasn’t gone unnoticed by Haitians, many of whom remain skeptical that, after years of being adversaries, such a disparate group can now come together to lift Haiti out of the worsening security and humanitarian crisis.

Jerry Tardieu, a former member of the Lower Chamber of Deputies, said as long as the provisions of the group’s political agreement for a peaceful and orderly transition are respected, he sees a path out of the the crisis.

“We will never have total political consensus, but we should have at least a minimal and sufficient one,” said Tardieu, whose political party, En Avant, was involved in the negotiations setting up the transition. “It can give us a road map to elections after restoring security and reforming the constitution.”

Voltaiire, seemingly unfazed by the doubters, turns to history, citing the moment a union of former slaves and mixed-raced Haitian natives successfully defeated the French, coming together to end slavery and creating of the world’s first Black Republic on Jan. 1, 1804.

“Tomorrow is another 1803,” he said. “For the first time in the 21st century, adversaries, enemies and allies have put their heads together to do a historic compromise to put Haiti back on track and so that they can work on security and provide hope that will lead to an elected and legitimate government that will work for the development of Haiti.”