Haitian Deputies Vandalize Lower House Ahead of PM Ratification

A group of Haitian opposition deputies vandalized part of the Lower House Tuesday, in a bid to prevent the ratification of Prime Minister Fritz William Michel and his new government.

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Chairs and tables were overturned and thrown on the floor, according to images broadcasted on social media.

Some of the material was strewn everywhere and windows were broken, while documents were scattered on the floor, in the prefabricated building construction that serves as the House's headquarters since the 2010 earthquake.

The acts were perpetrated by three opposition deputies, Jean-Robert Bosse, Raynald Exantus, and Joseph Manes Louis, who tried to boycott the formation of the government, considering it as "unconstitutional."

"It is an act of resistance against the violation of the Constitution. We, deputies of the opposition, are doing our job. There is no possible debate with people who violate the Constitution," Bosse said in a statement to EFE.

The incident happened hours before the appointed Prime Minister Michel, was scheduled to present his government plan and ask for ratification from the Chamber of Deputies.

Haitian President Jovenel Moise appointed Michel as premier on July 22 to replace Jean Michel Lapin, who resigned without having had the opportunity to present his policy plan to Parliament.

This is not the first time opposition deputies vandalize the house to prevent a session. On May 30, chairs and tables were thrown out of the windows to forestall Lapin from also presenting his government plan. 

Haiti has been without an effective government since March when parliament dismissed then Prime Minister Jean Henry Ceant by a motion of censure.

The country is going through a deep political, social, and economic crisis since protests started in July last year over corruption scandals that involved several members of the government, including President Jovenel Moise.

On Monday the capital Port-au-Prince was paralyzed by several demonstrations to protest the two-week-old fuel shortage in the impoverished country.

Moise, widely unpopular in Haiti, took power in 2016 through elections that were recognized as fraudulent, to push Haiti on the brink of collapse. Since 2018, demonstrations have been continuing to oust him. On Aug. 22, the House, with a government majority voted against a request to impeaching him.