“To that end, we acknowledge the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, with the establishment of an Interim Presidential Council and the appointment of an interim Prime Minister,” Ali said.
Henry's announcement of his resignation comes as Haiti faces one of its worst crises in decades. Armed groups have tightened their grip on the capital, attacking the airport and major ports and threatening civil war if the prime minister does not resign. Henry was unable to return from a diplomatic trip to Kenya last week. Port-au-Prince airport was attacked, so he flew to Puerto Rico instead.
As violence escalated over the past week, Henry came under intense pressure from the international community and the Haitian people to resign to make way for a new interim government.
Over the past year, U.S. authorities have been pressuring the 74-year-old neurosurgeon to work with the transitional council to help make the election happen, although a senior State Department official told The Washington Post last week that he “They were reluctant to transfer real power,'' he said. ”
Last week, the United States and the Caribbean Community proposed a quick transition of power, with a transitional council appointing an interim prime minister and Henry stepping down, as violence in Haiti “has become untenable,” a senior official said. . Anonymous in accordance with State Department regulations. Under the U.S. proposal, Mr. Henry would not be involved in organizing that council, officials said.
Haiti's presidential position has remained vacant since the unsolved assassination of Jovenel Moïse in 2021. The parliamentary seat has been vacant since the last lawmaker's term expired last year. Henry, an unelected and unpopular prime minister, was therefore left to lead the country.
