Interim President of Haiti’s Transitional Council Elected

Haiti's new Transitional Council on Tuesday elected Edgard Leblanc Fils as president of the governing body, and appointed Fritz Belizaire, former minister of Youth and Sports, as prime minister.

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During an official ceremony in Port-au-Prince, it was announced that Leblanc Fils will play a coordinating role in the presidential council. Leblanc is a member of the January 30 Collective of Political Parties, an alliance that opposed then Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Belizaire's nomination is to be confirmed by a statement in Haiti's national gazette.

Present on the occasion were representatives of the parties to the political agreement that led to the creation of the transitional council.

The nine members of the Presidential Transitional Council - seven with voting rights and two observers - were sworn in last Thursday. They represent the main political parties, civil society and the private sector.

The tweet reads, "Haiti's brand new Transitional Council ���� created after the resignation of the Prime Minister, elected on Tuesday politician Edgard Leblanc Fils to chair the body."

The new body took over as head of state last week following the resignation of interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Its goal is to restore order in a country devastated by gang violence.

An explosion of violence has plagued the Caribbean country since late February. Gangs have joined forces to attack police stations, prisons, public offices and the Port-au-Prince airport, plunging Haiti into a deep crisis and taking complete control of the capital.

Unelected leader Ariel Henry made his resignation official last week. He has been serving as the country's president since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.

According to Haiti's Constitution, the country must elect a new president by February 7, 2026. It would be the first elections in the country since 2016.