PORT-AU-PRINCE, March 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise has named a new acting prime minister, Jean-Michel Lapin, after lawmakers voted to censure his predecessor’s six month old government.
Lapin, the culture and communications minister, was charged with running Haiti’s day-to-day affairs pending the formation of a new government.
The Chamber of Deputies voted on Monday to censure the government led by Jean-Henry Ceant, which had been the target of deadly street protests.
In February, thousands of people took to the streets across the country – one of the world’s poorest – to demand better living conditions and the departure of the head of state.
For about 11 days, all activities ground to a halt in Port-au-Prince and across most of the Caribbean country’s cities.
Lawmakers, by an overwhelming majority, voted Monday for Ceant’s resignation, saying he had failed to improve conditions in the six months since he took over at the head of government.Advertisement
“To avoid a constitutional embroglio in the country, which needs peace so much, I give you my resignation,” Ceant said earlier Thursday in a letter to Moise.
In the coming days, Moise will consult with lawmakers about who to ask to form a new government. — NNN-AGENCIES