Former Haitian Senate Speaker Elected Head of Transitional Presidential Council, Reports Say

© AP Photo / Odelyn JosephEdgard Leblanc Fils speaks after the transitional council named him president of the council in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, April 30, 2024.
Edgard Leblanc Fils speaks after the transitional council named him president of the council in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 01.05.2024
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Haiti's transitional presidential council, tasked with leading the Caribbean nation after its prime minister resigned amid a surge in gang violence, has picked former Senate speaker Edgard Leblanc Fils as its head, media report.
The council, which consists of seven members and two observers, was sworn in last week. The transition plan was agreed in Jamaica with the participation of then-Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, Caribbean Community countries, the United States, Canada, France and Brazil.
Leblanc Fils served as speaker of the upper house of the Haitian parliament from 1995 to 2000. He will play a coordinating role as the transitional council's head, Haitian daily Le Nouvelliste reported on Tuesday.
The nine-member governing body also chose Fritz Belizaire, former youth and sports minister, as Haiti's interim prime minister, the newspaper reported.
A demonstrator holds up a Haitian flag during protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, March 1, 2024.  - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 23.04.2024
Number of Gang Violence Victims in Haiti Up 53% in First Quarter of 2024, United Nations States
Haiti's transitional presidential council will temporarily exercise a range of presidential powers, such as selecting and appointing an interim prime minister, an inclusive council of ministers, ensuring continuity of governance, and establishing a national security council to facilitate the accelerated deployment of the multinational security mission authorized by UN Security Council Resolution 2699 in 2023.
On February 29, gang violence erupted in the downtown area of Port-au-Prince while Henry was visiting Kenya to seek an agreement for the deployment of foreign forces in Haiti to fight organized crime. The gangs said their goal was to prevent the prime minister from returning to Haiti. They took control over many parts of the city and stormed Haiti's largest prison, freeing an unconfirmed number of inmates. The Haitian government declared a state of emergency in the capital region.
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