Haiti’s transitional government council will be installed this Thursday

A formal ceremony to install Haiti’s transitional governing council will be held early Thursday, the prime minister’s office said, as the violence-shattered nation moves to form an interim government.

The event will be held at the prime minister’s office, known as Villa d’Accueil, in the Musseau neighborhood of the capital Port-au-Prince, according to a press invitation from the office.

With the installation of the new nine-member body, formally known as the Presidential Transition Council, Haiti moves one step closer to filling its leadership void.

The Caribbean nation has been rocked by an explosion of violence since late February, when powerful gangs launched a wave of attacks in Port-au-Prince and demanded the resignation of then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

According to the United Nations, out of a population of about 11.6 million inhabitants, about 360,000 Haitians are internally displaced. Gang violence, according to United Nations experts, has forced 95,000 people to flee the capital and plunged five million into “acute famine.”

Henry, the country’s unelected leader since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, agreed to resign in mid-March and be replaced by the council, which is made up of seven voting members selected from across Haiti’s political spectrum and two non-voting observers.

Weeks of political fighting followed and it was not until April 12 that the organ was formally decreed in the official gazette Le Moniteur.

It remains to be seen whether the council will be able to reach a consensus on the appointment of an interim prime minister and government.

Additionally, the council has been tasked with preparing Haiti to hold presidential elections in February 2026. The country has not held elections since 2016.

It is also unknown how the country’s powerful gangs will respond to the new council, after expressing their annoyance at being excluded from transition talks.

Powerful gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, whose 1,000-member G9 alliance controls parts of Port-au-Prince, was among those excluded from the new government.