Haiti gets another new leader

The late President Jovenel Moïse designated Ariel Henry, former neurosurgeon and minister of social affairs, as the prime minister the day before his assassination but did not swear him in. In the power vacuum that followed Moïse’s death, Henry and Minister of Foreign Affairs Claude Joseph both claimed they were the rightful prime minister. On Saturday, a group of international ambassadors called on Henry to create a new government. Shortly after their announcement, the minister of elections announced Joseph was stepping down. Henry is creating a provisional consensus government to run the country until the next elections.

What’s happening in Haiti? The power vacuum extends beyond the presidency. Roughly 20 seats in the senate expired a year ago, and Moïse never held elections to fill them. The head of the Supreme Court died of COVID-19 in June. Political infighting has caused a power struggle that Haitians say international politicians exacerbate. The president of the Senate declared he would rule the country, but then he said the United States told him to step down. Moïse’s widow, Martine, returned to the country on Monday.

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Reichard’s interview with the founder of a Christian ministry that works in Haiti on The World and Everything in It.