Haiti: Prime Minister Gary Conille dismissed from his functions

The Transitional Council created to restore democratic order in Haiti, signed a decree on Sunday dismissing interim Prime Minister Garry Conille and replacing him with Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, a businessman who had previously been considered for the post.

The decree, which is expected to be issued Monday, was communicated to The Associated Press by a government source. It marks another step in an already difficult democratic transition process for Haiti, which has not held democratic elections in years, largely because of the surge in gang violence in the Caribbean country.

Alix Didier Fils-Aimé is the former president of Haiti’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry and ran an unsuccessful campaign for Senate in 2015. The businessman studied at Boston University and was considered a private-sector candidate for the position before Gary Conille took the seat.

Mr Conille, a long-time civil servant who worked with the United Nations, was prime minister for only six months.

The Transitional Presidential Council was created in April, tasked with choosing Haiti’s next prime minister and government, hoping it would help ease the country’s unrest. However, the council has been plagued by politics and infighting and has long been at odds with Gary Conille. Organizations such as the Organization of American States tried unsuccessfully last week to mediate the disagreements to salvage the fragile transition, according to the Miami Herald.

The process suffered a further blow in October when three council members were charged with corruption. According to anti-corruption investigators, they had demanded $750,000 in bribes from a government bank director to secure their positions.

The report was a blow to the nine-member council and is expected to erode public confidence in it further.

The same members accused of corruption, Smith Augustin, Emmanuel Vertilaire and Louis Gérald Gilles, were among those who signed the decree. Only one member, Edgard Leblanc Fils, did not sign the order.

Some in Haiti criticized the transitional council’s decision, including former Justice Minister Bernard Gousse, who told local media that Mr. Conille’s dismissal was “illegal” because the council had exceeded its powers and because of corruption allegations against him.