Haiti PM vows to hold elections ‘as quickly as possible’

Haiti's newly-appointed Prime Minister Ariel Henry says his government plans to establish conditions for holding long-delayed elections as soon as possible, following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise earlier this month, which threw the already-troubled Caribbean nation into further political chaos.

According to Press TV, Henry, who was formally appointed as prime minister in a ceremony in the capital, Port-au-Prince, last week, made the remarks at his first news conference since taking office on Wednesday.

"The mission of this government is to prepare the conditions to hold the elections as quickly as possible," Henry said, adding that he would be working to restore confidence in the government, and that there would be dialog with civil society and political leaders to reach consensus on how to move forward.

The discussions would focus on eliminating "all irritants" that could get in the way of holding elections, he said, without further elaboration.

Henry did not say when exactly the elections, previously scheduled for September, would be held. He also didn’t mention anything about holding a referendum on changing the constitution, which is seen as a potential stumbling block for elections.

He has already pledged to work to strengthen an economy wrecked by crime and the coronavirus pandemic.

Henry, a 71-year-old neurosurgeon, was named to the post by Moise days before his death, but was not then formally sworn in.

Moise’s assassination, which took place at his home in the early morning hours of July 7 by a hit squad with ties to the United States, opened up a political vacuum just as he and other civil leaders were preparing for elections and discussing revisions to Haiti's constitution.

The latest development comes as Haitian authorities are still investigating the murky motives for Moise's murder.

ME