KEYS FOR UNDERSTANDING THE CRISIS IN HAITI Dominican paper published today (July 7th, 2021), just after the murder of the president of Haiti, this article of evaluation of the chronic Haitian situation, chronic but worsening every day. Free translation. “The president of Haiti, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated this Wednesday by armed men at his residence in Port-au-Prince, an assassination that occurs at a time when the country is going through a deeply unstable situation. These are the keys for understanding the crisis in which the country is plunged. 1. AT THE DOORS OF THE ELECTIONS Haiti has called presidential and legislative elections for next September 26th, elections in which Moise could not be a candidate. On that date, a referendum was also scheduled to approve a new Constitution, a project promoted by Moise with a view to reinforcing the figure of the head of state, although he assured that he would not benefit from the new constitution. The new Constitution had strong resistance from the opposition and the entire process was viewed with suspicion by the international community, for lack of transparency and for not being sufficiently inclusive. 2. A NOT COMPLETELY CLEAR SUCCESSION In the event of the death of the president, the 1987 Constitution establishes that the Council of Ministers, headed by the prime minister, exercises executive power until the election of a new ruler. In the event that the death occurs after the fourth year of the five of the mandate, the National Assembly must meet to elect a president who fulfills the mandate of the deceased, but since January 2020 the Legislative has been closed due to the postponement of the legislative elections planed for 2019. The situation at the head of government is not entirely clear either, since there are currently two prime ministers appointed. Claude Joseph has held the position on an interim basis since last April, but this Monday Moise appointed Ariel Henry to that position, who had not yet officially assumed. At the moment, the only official communication on the events has come from Claude Joseph, who has assured that the Police and the Armed Forces are in control of the situation. 3. COMPLAINT OF COUP D'ÉTAT IN FEBRUARY The political crisis was triggered in 2018 by allegations of Moise´s corruption around funds from the Venezuelan aid program Petrocaribe, and has been aggravated in recent years by economic problems and an increasingly tense political climate. The protests, often violent, have paralyzed activities in Port-au-Prince for several weeks throughout these three years of instability, and led to the postponement of the 2019 legislative elections. The crisis worsened on February 7, the day on which Moise denounced that the opposition, together with a group of judges from the Supreme Court of Cassation and high-ranking police officers, were plotting an attack to assassinate him on that day. The authorities made several arrests, but those involved in the alleged coup attempt were released by court order. 4. DISPUTE ABOUT THE END OF THE TERM OF OFFICE The opposition has not recognized Moise's legitimacy since February 7, 2021, the date on which they consider that his term ended, due to an interpretation of an article of the Constitution, which would allow understanding that his Government began in 2015, coinciding with the date of an election that ended up being annulled and not with his investiture, which took place in 2017. Opposition parties, especially those on the left, treated Moise as a "dictator" for the controversial way he has governed by decree since the closing of Parliament, something for which he has also been criticized by the international community. However, Moise has always assured that his intention was to leave power on February 7, 2022, five years after his inauguration, and to hand it over to whoever was elected in the voting. 5. ENEMIES OF THE OLIGARCHY AND THE GANGS As the crisis has worsened, Moise has made enemies among the wealthy families that control key businesses in the country, such as energy, telephony or banking, whom he has blamed for the systemic corruption and chronic instability that experiences. the country. Recently, Moise has also made enemies among the powerful armed gangs that control numerous slums in Port-au-Prince. Gang violence has intensified since the beginning of June, especially due to the action of G9 an Fanmi e Alye, a federation of gangs that until recently was considered in the orbit of the Government and that in recent weeks declared war on Moise . The conflicts between the gangs have caused dozens of deaths and injuries and at least 17,000 displaced since the beginning of June due to the clashes in neighborhoods such as Martissant and Delmas.” https://listindiario.com/las-mundiales/2021/07/07/678288/claves-para-entender-la-crisis-en-haiti