Haiti appoints new prime minister

United Nations development expert Garry Conille was appointed as Haiti’s new prime minister on Tuesday evening, following reports of a month-long period where a faction within the divided transitional council attempted to select a different candidate for the role.

According to council member Louis Gérald Gilles, six out of the seven voting council members opted for Conille earlier in the day, with the remaining member, Laurent St. Cyr, unable to participate in the vote as he was not present in Haiti at the time.

Conille has been serving as the Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at UNICEF since January 2023, and previously held the position of Haiti’s prime minister from October 2011 to May 2012 during the presidency of Michel Martelly. He takes over from Michel Patrick Boisvert, who assumed the role of interim prime minister following the resignation of Ariel Henry in late April.T

This highly anticipated decision comes amidst reported ongoing violence in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, with gangs causing chaos by attacking once-peaceful neighborhoods and using heavy equipment to destroy multiple police stations and prisons.

CARICOM, via official statement, has pledged its continued support to the country, which became a full member of the bloc on July 2, 2002, as it advances towards national security:

“CARICOM commends the Transitional Presidential Council for putting the interest of the country and the people of Haiti above all else. This will remain a paramount objective as the TPC, working with Transitional Prime Minister Conille, continues to move forward in restoring security and in establishing the critical broadly representative institutions necessary for the delivery of public services, the provision of humanitarian relief, facilitating socio-economic improvement, and the holding of free and fair elections in a timely manner.”