(VOVWORLD) - Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry will step down once a transition council and temporary replacement have been appointed, he said on Monday, after leading the Caribbean country since the 2021 assassination of its last president.
 PM Ariel Henry attends a meeting in New York, September 22, 2023. (Photo: REUTERS) |
Armed gangs massively grew their wealth, influence and territory under his administration, prompting Henry to travel to Kenya in late February to secure its support for a United Nations-backed security mission to help police.
However, the conflict dramatically escalated in his absence and left the 74-year-old neurosurgeon stranded in the US territory of Puerto Rico while regional leaders called for a swift transition.
Henry is set to be replaced by a presidential council that will have two observers and seven voting members, including representatives from a number of political coalitions, the business sector, civil society and one religious leader.
The council has been mandated to quickly appoint an interim prime minister; anyone who intends to run in Haiti's next elections will not be able to participate.
Haiti has lacked elected representatives since early 2023 and its next elections will be the first since 2016.