Haiti appoints transition council for elections

Haiti’s prime minister on Monday formally appointed a transition council charged with ensuring that long-awaited general elections are held in a country with no democratically elected institutions.The prime minister called on all Haitians to unite and fight for change as the country continues to spiral, with poverty and hunger deepening and violence spiking.

The council’s three members are CalixteFleuridor with Haiti’s Protestant Federation, who represents civil society; Mirlande Manigat, a law professor and former first lady and presidential candidate, who represents political parties; and Laurent Saint-Cyr, Haiti’s Chamber of Commerce president, who represents the private sector.

The council will also be responsible for working with government officials to reform Haiti’s constitution, implement economic reforms and reduce violence as gangs continue to grow more powerful since the presidential assassination, leading to a rise in killings, kidnappings and rapes.The High Transition Council, as its known, will also choose the members of a provisional electoral council that needs to be in place before election planning begins.